Of Suns, Moons, and Stars
by moonlight ray
Summary: Sakura accidentally creates another guardian during a surprise attack. Now she, Kero, and Yue have to teach the new star-powered how to use and control her powers. But the thing is, she's more powerful than she realizes! And at that same time, someone is apparently out to get Sakura and her Cards! NOT YuexOC
1. An Attack in the Alley

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 1

An Attack in the Alley

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own a few major characters of my own in this story. Their names haven't been decided yet, but will be revealed soon. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Guess what? I have two new characters that I need names for. If anyone's interested in suggesting names, I'll PM you the details about the characters, so not to spoil them here. And if I use any of the names suggested, I'll dedicate a chapter to you! Please R I'm not getting many reviews lately. Domo arigato!]

Sakura was cornered. The vines of deadly black thorns were blocking her only exit, and growing steadily towards her. Clutching her Staff and Cards, the young girl tried to think of a way to escape. If she used Fly, she'd have to risk being spotted. Besides, chances were that the vines would just follow her up into the sky. What about Shield? Sakura dismissed the idea; Shield couldn't hold out forever. She tried offending it with Wood, but the Card was too gentle and the inky black thorns pierced the vivid green vines of its opponent, turning them dry and lifeless. What could she do? Trapped in the dead end of the alley, Sakura's time was running out. The thorns were advancing.

That's it! She could use Sword! But she realized it too late. The tips of the black vines were already brushing her skin and Sakura didn't have time to pull out the Card. Sakura clutched the Star Staff to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for the vines to strike. Without realizing it, her magic circle flared bright and something appeared amid the blinding light.

Sakura held her hand in front of her eyes, forcing them open a slit. Her vision was blurry, due to the insanely bright light, but she could make out a cocoon of feathers. It looked strangely familiar, and that sensation grew as the wings snapped open and a being stepped out.

"Hoe?" Sakura whispered. The figure couldn't be seen as more than a silhouette, but Sakura could at least make out that it was humanoid. The light died down, and the amber eyes of the being opened. The being, Sakura thought, was beautiful. It was female, as far as the Card Mistress could tell; with golden waves of hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, and silver highlights, like shooting stars, glistening among the waves. The wide amber eyes reflected bravery and determination. Her skin was as smooth and white was polished marble, seemingly able to shatter any second because of its fragility. She was dressed in a silver and gold gown, swishing around her feet like a crush of stars. Her feet were bare, except for a small silver anklet around her right ankle, with a tiny charm shaped like the Star of David dangling from it. Pure white wings spread from her back, arching just below her head.

The being formed a golden orb of light in her hands, and shot it at the still vines. The tangle of black thorns disappeared almost immediately after coming in contact with the ball of magic. Sakura could only stare, wide-eyed, as the golden figure fainted and collapsed onto the ground. Unsure what to do next, she pulled out her cell phone called for Kero.


	2. Consultation

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 2

Consultation

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own a few major characters of my own in this story. Their names haven't been decided yet, but will be revealed soon. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigato gozaimasu DarkMousyRulezAll for the review and name suggestions! This chapter's dedicated to you, as promised. :) As for everyone else, review! I can tell from my Traffic Stats that more than one person is reading this story. Oh! And I just realized something—I made a mistake in Ch. 1, when I described the new guardian. I said she had silver highlights, when I really meant streaks. Gomen. Note: Soda= I know]

_Dedication: For DarkMousyRulezAll, with big thanks for the names. Arigatou!_

Kero was deep in thought, his tiny face full of serious concentration. Well, as serious as his stuffed toy-like face could get… After Sakura asked his advice and used Float (with Illusion's spell over the bubble, so onlookers would only see blue sky) to get the new guardian home, the little sun guardian immediately got down to business. He had Sakura call Yukito over so he could consult Yue, and they would discuss it from there. Sakura and Kero were still waiting for the snow rabbit to arrive.

"Kero-chan, how you do suppose—? I mean, where did she—? That is, ano, how did I—?" Sakura couldn't find the right words the phrase her sentence. She sighed, giving up. "Never mind."

"I think you mean where did she come from?" a voice from behind them suggested. Both recognized the voice without needing to turn. But they did anyways, and sure enough, Yue was just climbing in through Sakura's bedroom window.

"Can't you be more like the yuki usagai and just use the door?" Kero asked, obviously annoyed.

"That takes more time," Yue replied dismissively. "What's the…?" The words died in the moon angel's mouth as his gaze rested on the unconscious being sprawled out on the floor. Her wings had dissipated, but still she had that unearthly look to her, just like Kero and Yue himself.

"She's a guardian," Kero began. His counterpart shot him an agitated glare that basically read _Yes, I can see that._ Kero returned the look and continued, "Sakura accidentally created her when attacked."

"Attacked?"

"Hai," Kero nodded his furry golden head in confirmation. "I haven't gotten the details. From what I know, something bad was about to happen to Sakura and suddenly this new guardian was created. Right after saving her Mistress, well, you can see what happened…"

"Hmm," Yue closed his eyes in thought, leaning gently against the wall. "We should leave her be. She will need rest. Is there anywhere else we can converse?" The moon guardian's violet silver eyes opened, eyeing his Mistress.

"We can go downstairs," Sakura offered. Yue nodded, and the three of them left the room, closing the door behind them.

* * *

"So, Sakura, what exactly happened?" Kero inquired.

"Well, I was out on an errand for Otou-san when a felt a dark aura nearby. When I went to investigate, a deep purple glow appeared in front of me and this black, thorny vine suddenly sprouted from nowhere. It began chasing me, and soon it had me trapped in the dead end of an alley. As it was getting closer, I tried to use my Cards to escape, but I didn't have enough time. I was scared and didn't know what to do." Sakura paused for breath, trying not to shiver at the memory. "Just then, this extremely bright yet somehow familiar light encased the alley. When I opened my eyes again, I saw that _she _was there. And as if she was already prepared for this, the being began launching attacks at the vines. Strangely enough, they disappeared, just like that. Before I could thank her, though, she fainted. Next thing I did was call Kero-chan."

A brief silence filled the room, and Yue exchanged glances with his brother. Kero gave a small nod in agreement. Yue spoke first, "Mistress, I think that the being was created by you."

"N-nani!?" Sakura exclaimed. "How? The only creation I've ever achieved was that of the Nameless. And a Card is nowhere close to creating a guardian!"

"There's no doubt about it, kid," Kero said. "That's the only explanation. You were scared, you needed protection, and without knowing it, you created a guardian. Trust me, Sakura, I recognize my own type."

"You didn't recognize me up until the Final Judgment," Yue mumbled under his breath.

"I don't understand." Sakura looked up, as if she could see through the ceiling to the guardian upstairs.

"Soda," Kero reassured her, patting his Mistress on the head. "It's complicated. Magic is always like that, hard to comprehend. But we need to figure out what to do with her right now."

"She might not be safe." Yue stated. Sakura and Kero looked at him with surprise. The Judgment angel had been pretty quiet up until then, and the statement was unexpected.

"What do you mean, Yue-san?" Sakura questioned.

"The harmony of the universe. It's only meant for two."

"Hoe?" The sentence was pretty cryptic, even for Yue.

"Yin and yang, day and night, sun and moon, gold and silver; there's only balance enough for two."

"You forget, Yue, that there's always a section in between." Kero opposed. "Nothing is completely good or bad; there's not only black and white, but also various shades of gray in the middle. Between day and night there is afternoon. Along with sun and moon there are stars; with gold and silver there is bronze."

"But is it balanced? Gray is neither black nor white. Stars are neither sun nor moon. Bronze is neither silver nor gold." Yue retorted.

"As I said, nothing is pure. There's always a little bit of something else in it."

"Then it's unstable. We cannot tell what to do with such a dangerous mixture! The peace of the universe—"

"We're not here to listen to you spout philosophy, Yue!"

"Quit shouting; you'll wake her up."

"NANI!? You're the one who was shouting!"

"Kero-chan!" Sakura hushed the little Seal Beast. She stared up at the ceiling again, and speaking more to herself that her guardians, "I don't know what we'll do with her…"

"First of all, she needs a place to stay. We can't keep her in this house for long without anyone discovering and asking questions." Kero declared. "That brother of yours doesn't miss a thing around here."

"Onni-chan knows about magic now. It's just Otou-san I'm worried about." Sakura pointed out.

"She can't go anywhere looking like she does now. Does she have a false form?" Yue asked.

"I honestly don't know," Sakura responded.

"We can train her in magic. She seemed to know what to do when you were attacked, right, Sakura?" Kero cocked his head at the Card Mistress. The young girl nodded, seeing where he was getting at. "So Yue and myself can teach this new guardian all she needs to know about guardianship."

"Very well, but I would be cautious around her if I were you, Keroberos. We don't know what she's capable of. If she can use such powerful magic only seconds after being created, she must be stronger than she appears." Yue advised his counterpart.

"Hai, hai," Kero rolled his eyes. "Where should we begin…?"

"Actually, Kero-chan, I think we should wait until she wakes up first." Sakura suggested, eyes turning to dots. Both her guardians sweatdropped.


	3. Settling In

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 3

Settling In

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and another character that will appear later in the story. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigatou DarkMousyRulezAll and Firestripe49 for reviewing! Does anyone notice a difference in the disclaimer? {giggles} I like hiding unexpected things in unexpected places, just to see if you're paying attention! Although I'm not sure if that trick works anymore after pulling the same one in Revealed. Speaking of Revealed, I'm thinking of replacing the last chapter (again) with a "Leave It to Kero-chan" segment. Does it sound like a good idea, or should I just leave what's already there? If you'd let me know by leaving a nice little review, I'd be delighted. Domo arigto! Ja ne!]

It was about a week later that the being awoke from the coma. It was Sakura's chore day, her brother's work day, and her father had just left on another business trip. The young Card Mistress just vacuuming the living room when she heard something, that sounded strangely like footsteps coming from the upper floor. [Note: Just in case you're wondering how Sakura managed to keep the new guardian unknown to her family, she temporarily sealed the being into the Sakura Book until its waking] Curious, she paused in her cleaning to see the being hesitantly descending the stairs.

"Oh! You're awake!" Sakura exclaimed, eyes lightening at sight of the now conscious guardian. "Kero-chan! She's awake!"

"Nani?" The little sun creature fluttered out from the kitchen, a half-eaten cookie in his paw. Kero quickly stuffed the rest of the treat into his mouth, and glanced at the being standing next to Sakura. "Hey," he casually greeted her. Then, when he realized who _she _actually was, "You're awake! She's awake! Sakura, why didn't ya tell me?" His Mistress went crashing to the floor, anime style.

"W-where am I?" the being quietly asked. She had a voice like tinkling bells, and she appeared so fragile it seemed like a rough wind could shatter her into a million pieces.

"You're in Tomoeda, Japan." Kero answered. "In the Kinomoto residence, to be specific."

The being's face remained blank and confused.

"Never heard of Japan?"

The being shook her head.

"You know, that big island in Asia near the coast of South Korea?"

Once again, the being shook her head.

"What do you need, specific longitude and latitude lines?"

"Gomen, what?"

"Forget it…"

Kero sighed, giving up on explaining their location to the clueless guardian in from of him. "Sakura, could you all Yue over?"

"Un!" Sakura nodded, and dashed off for the phone.

"Who am I?" the guardian inquired. Her amber eyes scanned the room before landing on the flying "toy" in front of her. "Why am I here?"

"First question, I can't really answer. Second question, you're here because this is the house of your Mistress. I'm… I suppose I'm your half-brother… Keroberos, guardian beast of the Cl—I mean, Sakura Book." Kero replied.

"Sakura Book?" the being echoed.

"The place where the Sakura Cards are kept."

"Sakura Cards?"

"Anything I can help with?" the question was followed by warm laughter. Both guardians turned to see Yukito in the doorway, and Sakura lurking behind. The snow rabbit was smiling as usual, but there was this look of curiosity in his amber eyes, a shade lighter than those of the new guardians'. Without warning, pearl-white wings encased the youth, and Yue emerged from the glowing cocoon not long after.

"Sakura Cards are magical cards that have magical spirits inside that can be released through the Star Staff," Yue explained. "And the Sakura Book is the book where these magical Cards are contained, along with their guardians, sealed into the covers."

"Nani?" The poor being was so confused now. Who were all these people? Who was _she? _And what is all this talk about cards?

Yue sighed, like Kero before him. "Let's just get to training,"

"Are you okay with that…" Sakura began, and then stopped as she realized she didn't know how to address the being before her. "What should we call her?" The Card Mistress glanced at her guardians for help.

"We can name her Hoshimi, meaning starlight, which is the source of which she was created and by which she draws her powers." Yue suggested.

"How'd you know if she's star-powered?" Kero questioned.

The Judgment Angel rolled his violet silver eyes. "She was created using star magic, so that's where she draws her powers. Just like Clow created us with the magic of the sun and moon, Sakura created Hoshimi with the power of her star."

"Hai, I suppose that makes sense." Sakura responded, her index finger pressed to her bottom lip and head tilted slightly in thought. "Alright, Hoshimi-san, are you ready to train?"

"Ano," Hoshimi began. [A/N: Aren't you so glad we can stop referring to her as 'the guardian' or 'the being' now? I sure am.]

But Kero didn't give his new half-sibling a chance to answer as he transformed, pushed Hoshimi onto his back, and flew out to Yukito's house for the first training session. Sakura watched, a large and rather heavy sweatdrop forming on her head, as they became no more than a dark spot in the blue sky. Yue shook his head disapprovingly before taking off after the other two guardians.

* * *

Kero wasted no time in getting started. He immediately landed in Yukito's garden and ordered the star guardian off. Yue sighed as he landed beside his counterpart, holding three Cards he just borrowed from his Mistress. Then he spotted someone coming down the street. "Keroberos, transform." The moon guardian said.

"Why?"

"Just do it! Both of you!"

Yue barely finished his sentence before a pair of large, feathery wings manifested themselves from his back and snapped around his body. Kero quickly followed suit. Hoshimi got off the sun creature's back just in time before she was also caught in the cocoon. Tumbling onto the earth, she could only watch in awe as the other two guardians shifted forms. Little Kero dived into Yuki's pocket a few seconds before the approaching person got within eyeshot. Hoshimi, unsure what to do, hid behind one of the bushes.

"To-ya!" Yukito called out. "Back from work already?"

"Yeah," came the response. "What are you doing?"

"Not sure. Yue just …you know."

"Ah,"

"Is it your turn to cook dinner tonight?"

"Nope, the kaijuu's cooking this time. We switched shifts since she had to see one of her friend's recitals on Thursday. Kaijuu,"

"To-ya, you've gotta stop teasing your sister." This statement was followed by a chuckle.

"Don't start with the 'sister complex' again, Yuki."

"But you do have—"

"Urusei,"

Another chuckle.

"Well, I'll see you at school on Monday, then. I have to go."

"See you,"

Once the elder Kinomoto was out of sight, Kero and Hoshimi came out from their hiding spots. Yue soon replaced the snow rabbit. "Who was that?" Hoshimi inquired.

"Touya Kinomoto," Yue replied. "The elder brother of our Mistress."

"Gotta watch out for him, he figured me and Yue out on his own. Maybe he'll figure you out too." Kero added.

"I wouldn't count on it since he…" the moon being left it there, gaze drifting off somewhere beyond his comrades, and eyes glazing over as if caught in a painful memory. Kero knew his brother was probably thinking of the time where he was fading away from lack of power source, and Touya had given the Judgment Angel his powers to sustain Yue and Yukito's lives. Hoshimi, however, just regarded the other humanoid guardian with a curious look. She wasn't sure what to think of these two creations or about herself for that matter. She wasn't sure about anything except her name, the other guardians' names, and that they were her half-brothers. Everything else they told her either was interpreted by her mind as an indecipherable jumble of words or she got lost after the first few sentences.

Yue snapped back to the present, suggesting, "We should head inside before someone else comes along to see us." Kero nodded in agreement. Hoshimi followed, seeing no other option. They stepped inside the cool shade of the house, took a seat on some of the bamboo mats laid out on the floor, and Yue went to fetch refreshments.

No one spoke for a while, Yue setting up a low table with tea, Kero apparently lost in thought, and Hoshimi waiting for the others to break the silence. Finally, it was Yue who did. "I believe you have a lot of questions, ne?" He glanced briefly at his fellow guardian. She gave a slow nod. "Ask, and we will answer what we can."

Hoshimi bit down nervously on her lip, feeling the steady gaze of the guardians boring down on her. "What are you?" she regretted it as soon as the words were spoken. It was a rather rude way to ask these creations, who had been kind to her, but they didn't seem to mind. At least, if they did, they didn't show it.

"We are creations of Clow Reed," Yue began. "He was the original creator of the Clow Book, Cards, Staff, and guardians."

"He was a very powerful magician who created a whole new type of magic—the Clow Cards, named after himself." Kero continued. "He also created a pair of guardians—us—to guard these Cards. With that he created a Book to seal us all in when he died, and that is where we slept until a new Master released us. A staff was also sealed into the Book, a sealing wand for the Cardcaptor to recapture the escaped Cards."

"We waited a long time for the next Master of the Clow. It was about thirty years later that a young girl opened the Book and became the Cardcaptor."

"She was Sakura, who is now the Mistress of the Sakura. After capturing all the Cards, she had to go through Yue's Final Trial. It would test if she had the strength and power to become our Mistress. She was helped a bit—" Yue cleared his throat, and Kero rolled his eyes. "Fine, quite a lot, by a gift left for her by Clow Reed. It ensured her a second chance and she passed! Sakura became the new Master of the Clow."

"From there, she began to slowly transform the Cards into her own with the help of Clow's reincarnation. We didn't know it at the time, but he was there, secretly hiding and helping. The most we could do was sense his aura up until the final Cards."

Kero watched his life-long companion, wondering if Yue had purposely left out the part where he was about to disappear, then kept on explaining, "They were Light and Dark, two of the strongest in the Deck, after the Elementals. Eriol, the reincarnation, cast a spell over Tomoeda to put everyone to sleep and they would remain that way unless Sakura transformed the last two Cards before dawn. Which I thought was cruel at the time… Clow always had a strange way of motivation. Anyways, Yue and I entered Sakura's staff and helped her transform the Cards, with—I hate to admit—the help of the Chinese Gaki."

"The Mistress changed the Cards, and broke Hiiragizawa's spell. Everything was calmer from then on, until we found out about the Void. It was the balance for all the other Cards; a negative for their positive. It took everything… and made it into nothing. It attacked Tomoeda, erasing more and more of the town until only two people remained."

"Sakura and Syaoran were left on their own. The Gaki was erased not long after, triggering Sakura's bad side. So she defeated the Void and changed it also into a Sakura Card. Nothing weird has happened since the sealing of that last Card."

"Until now." Hoshimi whispered, so soft that the other two guardians barely caught it.

"Hai, until now." Yue agreed.

"And who am I?"

"You are—"

The answer was cut off by a sudden darkness. At first Kero and Yue thought it was the work of the same strange magic that earlier attacked their Mistress, but they sensed no aura. Peering out the window, Kero saw that it was getting dark. "We'd better start training," he stated.


	4. Learning the Ropes

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 4

Learning the Ropes

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and another character that will appear later in the story. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigatou DarkMouseyRulezAll and azure blue espeon for the reviews! Gomen nasai for the late update. I've been practically drowning in homework. It's like teachers don't know when to lay off a bit; we've got lives outside of school too! As for the story, I know this hasn't been much of a Sakura fanfic, so I changed the characters to Sakura and Yue. And this is probably the millionth time that I wished there was a category for the guardians, since a lot of my stories feature just Kero and Yue. Please R&R! Following and favouriting is great and all, but seriously, nothing says that better than a review! Ja!]

"We'd better start training." Kero stated. "It's getting dark, and Sakura will expect me back by nine at latest."

Yue nodded, and proceeded to clear the table. Kero offered to help, but Yue refused, insisting that he could handle it. When the moon being finished, he lead the other two magical creations into a large, spacey room ideal for athletics. Kero gave a suggestive glance at his counterpart, who only shrugged and said, "Yukito's training room,"

"That explains the archery equipment." Kero waved his paw at the awards and targets hanging on the otherwise bare walls. "So, what're we waiting for? Let's start already." Kero transformed, and crouched down in a defensive position. "Alright, Hoshimi, attack me."

The said guardian blinked in surprise. "A-attack you?"

Yue sighed. "Keroberos, she's not going to attack you. She doesn't even know _how _to attack anyone yet."

"Sure she does. How else d'ya think she saved Sakura-chan?"

The moon guardian rolled his eyes and ignored his brother, turning to face Hoshimi. "We can begin with flight."

"Flight?" the female guardian echoed.

Yue nodded nonchalantly.

"Bor-ing!" Kero yawned. "C'mon, Hoshimi, let's work on your attacks instead!"

"Ano…" the star guardian nervously glanced back and forth between Kero and Yue, unsure what to do. An argument was brewing, and she most definitely didn't want to be caught in the middle of it.

"Keroberos! You're confusing her! We should start with basics, and then we can move on to the more complex parts." Yue snapped.

"But that's no fun!" the sun creature complained.

"This is not a play date! What do you expect?"

"Why do you always have to make things so tedious, Yue? Just because you don't know how to have fun, doesn't mean we can't have fun either!"

"Why do you always have to take things as a big, phony joke?"

"Attacks are more important. If a guardian cannot attack the opponent, what use is he to his Master?"

"Our duty is not to meddle in our Master's battles. It is to protect them. Which calls for defense methods, and flight is one of the most common strategies."

"Oh? What happened to 'you can't win by simply running away'?"

"Well, if you're so confident in your theory, let us test it. I will teach her flight, and if that doesn't work, you may teach her attacks."

"You're so on!"

Yue shook Kero's paw once, before leaving the room as silently and swiftly as a wisp of smoke. Kero, still in his celestial form, waited patiently beside Hoshimi. He knew what exactly what Yue had planned for flight lessons. In fact, it was the same tactic Clow had used. "Are you getting on or not?" he inquired.

Hoshimi quizzically regarded her half-brother. "Why?"

"Unless you wanna fly on your own," Kero repeated, not acknowledging her question, "Hop on."

The star being reluctantly took a seat on the lion's back, and wrapped her arms loosely around Kero's neck. "Where are we going?"

The Seal Best didn't respond. He just murmured to himself, "It should be dark enough now," Without warning, he took off, zooming through the house like a ray of light. As Kero exited the Tsukishiro residence, both the sun and star guardian were met with a cool blast of air. "Hold on tight!" Kero yelled a fraction of a second before they were airborne. The wide gold-tinted wings of the sun creature glided through the sky as effortlessly as knife blades, and the wind gave a soft, gentle breeze to the humid night. Hoshimi clutched onto Kero's body, squeezing her eyes shut. Kero, on the other hand, was more enthusiastic about their flight. He did a couple of loops, zigzags, and even one complex corkscrew. Hoshimi held on for dear life during these stunts, feeling as if she would tumble off the lion's back at any moment. They caught up to Yue in a few minutes, as the moon guardian hovered above a certain building. The full moon shone bright behind him, a perfectly molded orb of white jade against the azure velvet of the darkened sky. Less than a handful of stars were visible that night, but those stars that were twinkled brighter than the Glow Card. Darkness began to drape over the city like a protective blanket, settling in for the next couple hours, as the two guardians landed on the Tokyo Tower.

"You can get off now," Yue told Hoshimi, who was still latched onto Kero's back, eyes squeezed tightly shut. The female guardian slowly cracked open one eye, and once she saw that they were on solid ground again, began to slowly climb off. Only to let out a piercing shriek as she almost stumbled off the edge of the tall building.

"Careful, it's about a three hundred meter fall from here," Kero teased.

"Nani?" Hoshimi was looking pale, her face full of genuine fear.

"Don't worry about it; you're not going to fall."

Hoshimi let out a sigh of relief.

"Insteadwe'lljustgiveyouashoveandhopefu llygetyouflying,"

"Gomen, what was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Hoshimi, stand closer to the edge," Yue ordered.

The star being hesitantly took a tentative step forward.

"A bit to the right," Yue added as an afterthought.

Hoshimi did as told.

"Now take one step back,"

Once again, Hoshimi obeyed. Yue nodded in satisfaction, and—

Kero gave a forceful push with his head, easily launching an unsuspecting Hoshimi over the edge. She began to fall, her golden waves of hair flying wildly around her face and covering her sight. A scream rang out through the night, but was covered by the noise of the traffic in the city below. The star guardian couldn't think straight. All she knew was that she was falling…falling to her doom. And just as she thought she was going to make painful contact with the hard earth, the rushing air stopped.

Forcing her eyes open, Hoshimi saw that she was just one meter above the ground, suspended in the air. Looking closer now, she saw that she was actually in a bubblegum-pink bubble. The Float Card gently set its newest guardian on the ground, before popping back into Card form. Hoshimi, dazed and confused at what just happened, watched as the magic piece of paper flew back into the palm of its other guardian.

Yue and Kero appeared like real angels under the luminescent rays of moonlight, both their wings spread wide, already halfway down the height of the tower. Yue held in his hand three Cards—the Float, the Create, and the Sleep. He and Kero descended majestically from the sky, landing rather effortlessly in front of Hoshimi.

"Told you it wouldn't work," Kero smugly said to his counterpart. "Clow may have trained us to fly that way, but she's different."

"Your Master pushed you off Tokyo tower?" Hohsimi questioned in disbelief.

"Not exactly… he shoved us off a cliff since we were in England. Believe me; you've been let off easy. The Tokyo tower is not even half the height of that cliff." Kero replied.

That didn't seem much like a consolation to Hoshimi.

"She's acrophobic," Yue observed. "How odd for a guardian with wings."

"What-aphobic?" Kero parroted, not as advanced in vocabulary as his brother.

The Judgment Angel rolled his eyes. "Acrophobic. She's scared of heights." he clarified.

"Ha! Betcha didn't realize that, huh, smarty-pants?"

"Don't make me regret not bringing along the Silent."

"Hai, hai," Kero sounded strangely like Chiharu for a moment. "Now that your plan's backfired, you eat your words and watch mine succeed!" The Guardian Beast laughed, completely ignoring the eye-rolling and glares he was receiving from Yue

* * *

All three Sakura guardians were back in Yukito's training room, now equipped with fireproof mats all around, courtesy of the Create Card. Hoshimi was standing in the middle of the space and Kero on the outer edge, crouched down and ready to take whatever attack his half-sibling would fire at him. Hoshimi averted her eyes from Yue, who was standing in the doorway with a rather ominous scowl on his normally expressionless face, and focused on Kero.

Trying to figure out what to do, she recalled the alley incident. Why was it so simple to attack then and not now? Was it because of her guardians' protective instinct that she knew how to fire then? Is that why she drew a blank now? Or was it because she just couldn't bear to hurt Kero? Either way, Hoshimi couldn't form anything in her hand. "I can't do it," she whispered, gaze glued to the ground.

"How do you can't do it you haven't even tried?" Kero moaned for the tenth time in a row. "Hurry up, or Yue's gonna get cranky. Actually, is there ever a moment where he isn't cranky? Anyways, don't mind him. Just attack already. I'll be fine."

"Kero—"

"Close your eyes," It was the moon angel who had spoken. The other two guardians spun around to face him. "Hoshimi, close your eyes." Yue repeated.

Hoshimi, glad to be given something that she could do, followed the instruction.

"Imagine you are back in the alley. The Mistress is trapped against the wall, and the vines are advancing. You are the only thing standing between them. The vines are about to grab her and make contact. You need to save the Mistress. But the vines have got her ankle. They're tightening, while making their way up her body, to her throat."

Hoshimi let out a startled gasp, and her lip began to quiver.

Yue watched her reaction in satisfaction. It was working. "The vines are cutting off her air. They're stopping off her circulation. The Mistress is starting to die. You need to do something. Fire!"

As soon as the last word was spoken, a brilliant white-gold orb of light appeared in Hoshimi's hand. Without thinking, the star guardian's eyes flashed open and she launched the orb forward with a powerful thrust, as if throwing a shot put. The flash of light sped through the air at an impossible speed, like a shooting star. Kero watched in amazement. Hoshimi blinked twice, before realizing what she had just done.

"Yue! Duck!" she shouted, but it was too late. Her attack had made contact with the moon guardian's left shoulder.

Yue faintly felt the impact of the orb of light, before he collapsed. Everything looked fuzzy… all he could make out were the blurry figures of the other two guardians rushing towards him, their cries drowned out by the whirring of his own mind. The world around him flashed in and out, until everything went pitch black.

* * *

Yue's violet-silver eyes fluttered open. Where was he? What had happened? Why did his shoulder ache so badly? Slowly sitting up, he saw that he was on the floor. His still-foggy mind was busy trying to piece together the events he last recalled. All he could come up with was a speeding white-gold orb of light. Then he just saw darkness before consciousness left him. Scanning the room, Yue found himself still in Yukito's training room, alone... Wasn't he supposed to be training with Hoshimi and Keroberos? Picking himself off the floor, the Judgment Angel dusted off his pristine white robes and ran a hurried hand through his hair, before heading to the kitchen to investigate. If Keroberos was anywhere in this house, the kitchen would be the only rational place to look.

Yue's theory was correct. Keroberos, now in his smaller form, was sitting on the dining table, finishing off a plate of sushi. The strange thing was, Hoshimi was not with him. The moon being approached his counterpart, his movements silent and graceful. Just as Yue was two steps away from the Seal Beast, Kero looked up. "It's about time you woke,"

"Where's Hoshimi?" Yue inquired, feeling weary but still wasting no time in finding the new guardian, so he could:

a) Demand what the hell had happened and if she had anything to do with it, or

b) Bring her here so he could prove his point to Kero that starting a guardian's training with attacks was in fact a bad idea, _then _demand what the hell happened

"She's in the guest room, attending Yukito." Kero replied.

"Nani?" Yue couldn't have heard that correctly. How could Hoshimi be attending Yukito when he was present?

"You better wait until the yuki usagai wakes up, then we'll explain."

Yue nodded, and took a seat at the dining table. He just knew this new guardian would be trouble…


	5. New Troubles Arise

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 5

New Troubles Arise

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and another character that will appear later in the story. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Domo arigatou FireStripe49, azure blue espeon, Pricious Divil, and animeandmangafangirl for the reviews! My goal is to receive so many reviews in one chapter I couldn't possibly list them all here! Thanks to those who have contributed, and to everyone else, R&R, onegai! This chapter is when the 'Sakura' part actually comes in. Note: demo= but]

Yukito's consciousness slowly returned to him as his eyes blinked open. "You're awake," someone remarked from beside him. The youth turned his head to the source of the voice, to see the same young guardian his other half had been working with last time he saw them. Wait… his other half… was that why he was here, with no recollection of how he got here in the first place? It had to be. Even though he was now fully aware of why he lost consciousness, he still couldn't remember any of what actually happened unless Yue informed him.

"Yue was here, wasn't he?" Yukito asked, sitting up. He was on his bed, though still fully dressed.

The guardian bit her lip, unsure how to answer that question. "He was, and still is." She slowly—and carefully—responded.

Yukito chuckled. "Of course, isn't he always?"

Hoshimi blinked, taken aback. She had not expected that. Yukito had thought she meant Yue was present mentally, in their mind, when really she had meant physically. But she didn't bother to explain to him, after all, he'll find out soon enough…

* * *

The thing that Yue could never learn to cope with was when someone else had the upper hand of a situation. He'd taught that Touya-glomping, way-too-annoying, not to mention vain, arrogant, way-too-giddy butterfly guardian not to mess with him when he meant business and he had every intention of teaching Kero the same thing. The very fact that his brother was lounging on the table casually as if nothing had happened just seemed to tick Yue off. He obviously could at least begin to fill Yue in on something, but instead, the sun guardian was nonchalantly regarding the kitchen door, waiting for Hoshimi to appear with Yukito.

Yue's annoyance only grew as time ticked away. Finally, the moon guardian's not-so-plentiful patience snapped. "It's been over an hour, Keroberos. I'm going to find Hoshimi." Yue began to stand, but a sudden sharp pain in his left shoulder stopped him. Wincing, the Judgment Angel sat back down, placing a hand to his injury.

"Better go easy on that shoulder," Kero advised, looking away from the door for a solid two seconds, before returning to his staring contest with it. Yue sighed disapprovingly. No wonder even someone as kind and gentle as their Mistress could lose their temper around him.

Just then, Hoshimi entered the kitchen, Yukito following shortly after. The snow bunny stopped in his tracks as his gaze rested on Yue. Yukito's eyes widened, as his gaze repeatedly circled between Kero, Hoshimi, and Yue, as if watching an intense tennis match. "I— He— But how—?" he stuttered. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

"My thoughts exactly," Yue said, with a tone as sharp as his features. "Care to explain now, Keroberos?"

Kero opened his mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by the phone. "I'll get it," Yukito offered. No one replied, so Yukito took the silence as consent. "Moshi moshi, Tsukishiro Yukito speaking,"

"Yukito-san!" Sakura's familiar voice filtered in through the telephone line. Only instead of her usual cheerfulness laced into her words, there was a strong feeling of franticness in it. "Please tell Kero-chan and Yue-san to come over quickly, it's urgent."

"Is something wrong, Sakura-chan?" Yukito was growing more concerned by the second.

"Something's happened. Something I think they'd want to know about."

By the secretive and pleading way Sakura was speaking, the snow rabbit knew it had to be about magic. "Alright," he agreed.

"Arigatou!" And with that, the Card Mistress hung up.

Returning to the kitchen, Yukito relayed the conversation to the guardians.

"What problem exactly?" Kero questioned. "I called her last night to tell her I'd be staying over—"

"Last night?" Yue cut in.

"Yes, you both were unconscious for a whole night. But since I called to let her know, that can't be it, right? It's gotta be more serious."

"Then we should leave immediately,"

"You're just gonna leave those two here, alone? They're as vulnerable as sitting ducks!"

"Hoshimi can attack if necessary. Right now, our duty to the Mistress is top priority."

"If ya say so. Let's go."

The sun guardian quickly transformed, then unfurled his wings and flew after Yue, who had already taken off through the corridors of the house, making his way around a corner just as Kero caught sight of the last flash of his long, silver hair.

* * *

The Sleep provided long enough time for Kero and Yue to arrive at the Kinomotos' house. Neither guardian bothered to knock; they just quietly let themselves in. The house was a mess. Furniture was strewn everywhere, covering every inch of the floor, causing the magical creations to have to hover slightly above ground level. It was like the attack of the Rain and Wood Card, only three times as bad. Touya Kinomoto was in the living room, tidying up and grumbling to himself.

"Should we ask him what happened?" Kero whispered.

"Iie," Yue responded, shaking his head for emphasis. "I sense the Mistress upstairs."

The two brothers silently made their way up the staircase, until they were just outside of Sakura's room. Yue raised his hand to knock on the wooden door, when Sakura opened it. "Yue-san! Kero-chan! You're both alright!" the young girl rushed to her guardians, a relieved smile on her face as Kero nuzzled her hand.

"I'm fine, but Yue and Hoshimi have a bit of a problem." Kero partly reassured and partly informed her.

"Hoe? Problem?" Sakura looked as if she'd seen a ghost (which was pretty horrible, since this was Sakura-chan).

"No worries, it's not life-threatening or anything. It was more of a… magical malfunction during training."

"Oh," Sakura's expression returned to normal.

"So what happened? Why the mess? Don't tell me Rain and Wood have been at it again."

"Not exactly. Come in, and I'll explain." The Card Mistress opened the door wide, inviting her guardians inside. Kero didn't need to be told twice. Almost immediately, he transformed into his plush form and made himself at home. Sakura giggled at the sun creature. Yue was more reluctant, but still obeyed and entered the room. Instead of taking a seat, he stood, willing away his wings, appearing an elegant yet brooding figure in the cheerful cherry blossom-pink room.

"Tea?" Sakura asked. The question was phrased to sound like it was an open offer, but Yue knew it was directed towards Kero. To their Mistress' surprise, though, the little Seal Beast just waved it off. Yue was caught off guard as well. Having known Keroberos all his life, the one thing that he never doubted was the sun guardian's appetite. Kero never refused food. So this was like a giant flashing neon sign that read 'something's wrong'. But Yue didn't point it out nor show any sign that he noticed. Both of them were experiencing hardships at the moment and could be cut some slack.

Sakura regarded her long-term guardian, who had helped and guided her from the very start of her Card-capturing days (actually, he was the reason to the start of her Card-capturing days), with a mix of concern and confusion. "Kero-chan… are you sure you're alright?"

"Hai, I'm in perfect shape. So what's the big emergency?" Kero replied.

"It's over now. Demo, I'm afraid it will return." Sakura took a deep breath before continuing. "I was on the phone with Tomoyo-chan, when all of a sudden, the line went dead. I tried hanging up and redialing, but nothing happened. Next, I was hit by this strong sensation… like something horrible was going to happen. Before I would figure out what exactly it meant, a current of magic entered the room. It was the same aura I had felt when I was assaulted earlier, in the alley. Then it began circling the room, searching for something. I was getting scared, so I tried to reach for my Cards, but I couldn't move! Frozen, I could only watch as the spell came after the Book, sitting in the drawer I always kept it in. It pried open the seal, and grabbed the deck.

"I finally regained control over my body again, and I ran after the retreating magic spell. I didn't have time to think, so on instinct, I released my Staff and summoned the Windy Card. It reacted to the order I had given, even though it wasn't in my current possession. Rushing through the house, the Wind spirit blocked the door before the magic could escape. I told Windy to bind the spell, but it was already disappearing by itself, so I called the Cards back. Thankfully, none of them had been taken. Onni-chan arrived home for lunch a few minutes later, so I had to explain the mess to him. He took the rest of the day off to help me straighten things up before Otou-san got back from work. That's when I called you two."

The room was filled with silence. Yue and Kero were both deep in thought, with matching expressions of concentration on their faces. Something or someone was after the Sakura Cards. The question was: why? At what benefit would it be to them? Surely everyone in the magical realm knew that the Cards could only be used by the Card Master, who personally sealed them with their own power? Plus, no one would be so foolish as to attempt thievery of these powerful creations. In the wrong hands, the best scenario was that the Cards wouldn't respond to anyone. The worst... they'd be unsealed all over again, spending their time tormenting the one who set them loose, like the spirits of Pandora's Box.


	6. Complications

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 6

Complications

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and another character that will appear later in the story. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Whew, this was a long chapter. But now it's finally finished! Arigatou Pricious Divil and Korisu-chan for reviewing! Korisu-chan: As an answer to your question, no. You'll find out more about why it came and who it is later in the story. Note: Yamete= stop, Nan da= what was that, Sugoi= wow]

The house was restored to its usual tidiness, and everyone inside was now lounging in the living room. "Ah! Kero-chan, you never told me what the problem was." Sakura suddenly piped up.

A question mark appeared above the sun beast's sideways tilted head. "Problem…?"

"The one you said occurred during training," she reminded him.

"Oh, that problem! Well, you see, I um…" Kero rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a paw, a sweatdrop appearing, realizing that he'd have trouble explaining this without getting blamed. "I had Hoshimi… uh, kinda attack… and she hit Yue—"

"_Kinda attack?" _Touya repeated suspiciously, dark eyes narrowing.

"Well, Yue was the one who actually got her to do it!" Kero retorted defensively.

Sakura elbowed her brother, and then motioned for Kero to keep talking.

"And she, er, split him from the snow rabbit."

"NANI!?"

Kero gulped, dodging Touya's fist by just a millimeter. "Oi! It's not my fault! How was I supposed to know Hoshimi could do that?" the Seal Beast yelled, a crossvein popping.

"Maybe you could use your common sense! Oh, wait, you don't have any!"

"That's it!"

Kero transformed, got ready to pounce, and jumped onto Touya. What he didn't predict was that Touya was _not_ Syaoran… and shoved him right off. The two's eyes met and a flash of lightning zapped between them. "Bring it!" Kero challenged. Sakura sighed in defeat as her guardian and brother engaged each other into a rather violent fight. Yue rolled his eyes, as he watched his childish and troublemaking counterpart earn himself yet another rival, along with Li Syaoran and Li Meilin.

"YAMETE! BOTH OF YOU, CUT IT OUT!" Sakura shouted. But the noises of the quarrel drowned her voice out.

Yue sighed. Why was it that he had spent all his life with Keroberos, yet never understood a single thought that entered the Seal Beast's head? But what he did figure out over the years was how to stop the many ridiculous battles his brother had gotten himself into. "Keroberos, the cookies are burning."

Kero immediately halted. Without thinking, he rushed into the kitchen, Touya forgotten. "Are they burnt, are they burnt?" Peeking into the dark glass window of the oven, Kero only toppled over anime-style as he realized he had fallen for the same trick again. _Grrr… That Yue! _He mentally grumbled to himself. Kero could practically feel the moon angel's (and Touya's) glowing delight at seeing him acting so gullible. Yet he knew, as soon as he set foot back into the living room, that Yue would not show nor admit it.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Tsukishiro residence, Hoshimi gazed out the window, watching a shooting star streak its way across the still, evening sky. Her silver-streaked waves of hair gave off a faint glowing golden sheen, as her wide amber eyes reflected the stars before her. It was like staring at a canvas, soft pastel colours fading into one another as a star shot its way through, leaving behind a fine trail of golden dust. It felt so tranquil without her half-siblings here, bickering every ten minutes. Not that she'd ever tell them that.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Hoshimi started at the sudden voice, her dream-like state gone. "Yukito-san," she said, greeting the smiling youth.

"Gomen ne, I didn't mean to startle you. May I join you?"

Hoshimi nodded.

"It is beautiful, ne?"

Another nod. "It is the source of my powers, after all."

The snow rabbit chuckled. "You feel a connection, right? Something that naturally attracts you to your power source."

"Hai… how did you know?"

"I've experienced it a couple times, when I would go onto the roof and just stare at the moon. I never really understood it, until I found out about Yue."

"You… didn't know?"

Yukito shook his head.

"Oh."

"But there were times when I would suspect something was… odd."

"Odd?"

"Yue doesn't like to talk about this, but when Sakura-chan had almost finished transforming all the Cards, he had been starting to fade away. There wasn't enough magic for him to draw from his Mistress, with her using all of her power to turn over the Clow Cards. And when a guardian runs out of magic, they disappear out of existence. During this period of time, Yue's lack of power resulted in my lack of energy. I found myself eating and sleeping more than usual, and often blacking out for hours with no recollection of what happened. It wasn't until after Yue found another source of power that would sustain him long enough until Sakura could support both him and the Cards that I found out about my other form."

"But what about Keroberos?"

"Kero draws his powers from the sun. So like the sun, he can produce his own magic. But Yue is of the moon, with reflects another source. He needs to rely on his Master for power."

"Oh,"

Hoshimi stole a glance at Yukito, who was gazing outside with a dazed look on his face. It was rather impressive that someone who knew he was nothing more than a disguise for a magical being could be so happy with his life. She smiled a bit, turning her attention back to the rapidly darkening night sky.

"You know, they say that if you see a shooting star, you get a wish." Yukito said quietly.

The star guardian stared at the shining object shooting through the sky, closed her eyes, and silently made a wish. _I wish to find the same happiness in my life as Yukito-san has found in his…_

* * *

"This time, even you can't talk me into this." Kero stubbornly stated, crossing both paws over his furry chest. "There is no possible way any of you will get me to take the enrollment test for Hoshimi."

"Kero-chan, you have to!" Sakura pleaded. "Onni-chan, I, and Yukito-san already have class, and Yue-san already has a body complication. Plus, I thought you said you were the best at school subjects."

"No, I positively refuse to go along with this! The great and all-mighty Keroberos, Guardian Beast of the Seal, taking a pathetic enrollment exam! Absolutely not!" Kero protested.

"Listen, you furry little rat, this is not about you. It's about—" Touya began, but was interrupted by a fierce kick in the shin from his sister.

"All you have to do is get the Change to switch your bodies for twenty-four hours, take the exam, and switch back. Why not, Kero-chan?" Sakura persisted.

"Did you forget what happened when I got switched with the Gaki? There is no chance I'm going through that hell again." The sun beast replied, shuddering. "And if it's that easy, why can't Yue just do it? He probably knows more about this stuff that me, being inside that yuki usagai's head all through the school hours."

"I already told you," Sakura explained calmly. "I'm trying to get Yue-san and Yukito-san back into their original form, and I need both of them present for the merging spell. If Yue-san's in Hoshimi-san's body, it won't work out."

"Then why can't you do it after the twenty-four hours?"

"Because we need to get them back as soon as possible, with this new danger lurking about. This is the only way."

"Tell me again why Hoshimi can't just do it herself?"

"She doesn't yet have false form, so we'll use Illusion on her body while you're switched, then have her create her actual false form while you're at school, according to the image Illusion's projected."

"That sounds way too complicated. I'm still not doing it."

"I'll get you those sweet potato sticks you wanted."

"…Alright,"

Touya went anime-crashing to the floor. After all that effort the sun creature displayed in not giving in, in the end, he was won over by the offer of sweet potato sticks. Talk about easily bribed.

"Here's all your study material," Yue handed his brother a large stack of books of every subject he needed to learn in order to pass the exam. A sweatdrop even larger than the stack appeared on Kero's head as he sighed, and began to read.

* * *

"What's the square root of 954 529?" Touya quizzed the sun guardian.

"927," came the weary and half-asleep answer.

"Wrong. The answer's 977. You're never gonna pass at this rate!"

"Why do I even need to learn this? Calculators exist for a reason!"

"Next question, if you buy 28 rolls of correction tape for 13 yen each and pay with a 1000 yen bill, how much change do you get back?"

"I don't know! I just take whatever the cashier gives me!"

"Nope."

"Why would I even need 28 rolls of correction tape? I wouldn't buy it then!"

"You have to answer the question, not find a way around it!"

"Fine, none. I'd just use a credit card."

"Baka!"

"Oi, who're you calling a baka!?"

"The correct answer is 636 yen."

"Can we move on to something else? Math is damaging my poor brain."

"Oh, you actually have one of those?"

"NANI!?"

"Alright, moving on to history—"

"My best subject. After all, I haven't lived through a good half of those events for nothing!" Kero boasted, laughing.

"If you're so confident, then, how long did the Japanese continue warring against the Chinese after the Second World War?"

"Six years,"

"Wrong answer."

"That's impossible! You're the one who's wrong!"

"No, he's right, it's eight years." A new voice joined the conversation.

Kero shot his counterpart, who was leaning slightly against the doorframe of the living room entrance and regarding them with interest and amusement, a death glare at the interruption. "Why don't you do this, then, if you're so clever?"

Yue didn't acknowledge the question, but instead took a seat on the couch in between Touya and Kero, who were on opposite ends, staying as far from each other as possible. "Please continue your studies, I'm just listening in."

Touya nodded in response, and asked the Seal Beast another set of questions, which Kero only got two correct answers. "You're even worse at this than the kaijuu," Touya muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!"

"Good, then you'll know how much you need to improve in the next two days!"

"_Two _days?"

"Yeah, how long did you think the weekend was?"

"That's not counting today, is it?"

"Counting today,"

"I'm doomed!"

"Yes, you are,"

"NAN DA!?"

Yue sighed deeply and shook his head disapprovingly. Those two were at it again, Touya shouting threats at a demanding "Who do you think you're talking to in that way!?" Keroberos, and both of them wrestling each other on the floor in such quick movements that all Yue could make out was a blur of colour. And taking advantage of the Card Mistress' absence, they were fighting fiercer than before.

"Freeze," the moon angel summoned the Card, and in record time, two blocks of ice were frozen in place of Kero and Touya. "Are you two quite finished?" Yue asked them, raising an eyebrow.

Both nodded inside their iced cages.

Yue waved his hand, and the ice disappeared. "I will leave you to your studies then,"

Kero and Touya took their seats again, returning to their study session, as Yue left the room, satisfied with his work.

* * *

"He actually passed!" Touya remarked, gaping incredulously at the test results before him.

Sakura peered over her brother's shoulder at the sheet of paper. It was true. Kero had passed, but just barely. "Sugoi," Sakura whispered in awe. "I was afraid he wouldn't make it."

"Of course I made it!" Kero declared proudly. "I'm the great Keroberos, Guardian Beast of the Seal, after all!"

Sakura burst out into giggles. "First of all, Kero-chan, you weren't that confident on the test day; I and Onni-chan had to practically shove you through the door. And second, you're currently _not _a guardian beast."

A sweatdrop appeared on Kero's borrowed "Hoshimi" form. "Oh yeah. By the way, where _is _Hoshimi?"

"Right here,"

Sakura jumped as Touya and Kero turned around to see Yue at the entrance of the living room, with an uncomfortable-looking Hoshimi (in Kero's form) on his shoulder. Just after Kero took the exam, Sakura got home early and called Eriol for a spell to merge Yue and Yukito back again. It had succeeded, but Sakura was a bit weak from the usage of such strong magic. Yue decided to make himself useful and went straight to tutoring Hoshimi on the guardians' way of false forms, and hadn't been heard from until then.

"Sheesh, Yue, you almost gave poor Sakura a heart attack! Haven't you learned by now not to sneak up on her?" Kero said to his brother, annoyed.

Yue eyed his counterpart warily, then ignoring the statement, "You did pass?"

Kero nodded.

"Hmm,"

"What's that supposed to mean? Didn't think I could make it?"

"Never mind."

"OH, Kero-chan, Hoshimi-san, it's almost five!" Sakura reminded the two guardians, who quickly got in position, wrapping their arms around each other. The Card Mistress summoned her Staff and pulled out the Change. With perfect timing as the long hand of the clock hit twelve, Sakura brought the Star Staff down on the Card and shouted, "Switch the hearts of these two individuals! CHANGE!"

Kero opened his eyes. "Am I back? Is it over?" Then, seeing that he was indeed back in his own body, the sun creature let out a big whoop. "Now, Sakura, where are those sweet potato sticks?"

Sakura crashed to the floor anime-style.

"The first thing you think of when you're back in your body is still food," Touya grumbled. "I don't even see how you're not getting fat with all that junk food you're stuffing yourself with."

"Not so fast, Kero-chan. You still have to teach Hoshimi-san all the things you've learned to get her caught up with school." Sakura told her guardian.

This time, it was Kero's turn to fall over. "You never mentioned that!"

"Yes, I did. You were probably just too busy daydreaming about those sweet potato sticks to hear me."

A sweatdrop appeared on the Seal Beast's head as he realized she was right. "WHY ME!? WHY, WHY, WHY!?"

Suddenly, everyone in the room froze. Sakura held a protective hand over her pocket, which contained all of her precious Sakura Cards. Something was outside. Something with the same aura as the attacks before….


	7. Bargaining

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 7

Bargaining

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and another character that will appear later in the story. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigatou Korisu-chan and FireStripe49 for the reviews! FireStripe49: 'Nani' means 'what' in Japanese. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. Gomen nasai if I made you all wait; my parents don't like me being on the computer so much. ^_^;; Note: Soka= I see]

"Okay, so remember that you are Kaneshiro Hoshimi, one of our cousins from Okaa-san's side." Touya reminded Hoshimi. "You're just here to visit us, and if you like it enough here, you're going to stay. Of course, I doubt you'll actually be going anywhere, but this is just the cover story. Got it?"

Hoshimi nodded. Her human guise was, unlike Yue and Kero, quite similar to her celestial form. Instead of golden hair with silver streaks, the star guardian's locks were light auburn with golden highlights tied into two thin braids draping down her back. Her eye colour remained the same, and she was now dressed in the Seijouu High girl's uniform, walking to school with Touya and Yukito.

"It's okay if you two go ahead without me," Hoshimi said. The two males were walking their bikes to school because Yukito saw that Hoshimi had no idea how to ride a bicycle, and being Yuki, he offered to walk along with her to make her feel less left out. Touya, who never missed hanging with his best friend if he could help it, insisted on joining them as well.

"I'm fine. How about you, To-ya?" Yukito replied.

Touya gave an indifferent shrug in response.

"What about Mistress Sakura? Kero-san is always telling me about her running late." Hoshimi inquired.

"The kaijuu had classroom duty today, so she left early." Touya explained.

"Kaijuu?"

"That's what he calls his sister." Yukito clarified, chuckling. "Though I think he's actually rather protective of Sakura-chan, even if he's always teasing her."

"But why call her a monster, of all things?"

"I think To-ya-kun once mentioned something about her stomping down the stairs like a monster when she's late for school."

"Soka,"

"We're here," Touya announced, breaking up the conversation between the guardians. "Come on, we'll take you to class." He started ahead, setting a fast pace, leaving the snow rabbit and "cousin" staring after his retreating back.

"He doesn't like talking about it," Yukito whispered to Hoshimi, before quickening up his own pace to catch up with Touya. Hoshimi blinked twice, before understanding. She then followed after the other two youths, wondering if school was really as horrible as her half-brother had told her it was.

* * *

"Today, class, we will be welcoming two new students. Please come in." The teacher motioned towards the door. Hoshimi quietly stepped in, followed by a teenage boy with dark hair and cloudy blue-gray eyes. "This is Kaneshiro Hoshimi and Tanaka Arashi. I trust that you all will welcome them into our community."

"Hai!" The students chorused in unison.

"Very well. Now, where should we seat you two? Kaneshiro, you may take the empty seat behind Kinomoto. Kinomoto, please raise your hand." The teacher instructed.

Touya did as told. Hoshimi took her seat, noticing the pencil doodles left on the desk by its previous owner. "That's Akizuki's work," Touya voice whispered. "It used to be her desk."

Hoshimi looked up, confused, but decided against asking more when Touya turned back to face the front.

"And Tanaka, you can sit next to Kaneshiro."

Arashi nodded, and went to his seat. Hoshimi froze as he swept past her desk. There was something familiar about this boy… and she didn't like it. But, just as quickly as the sensation came to her, it disappeared, leaving the star being wondering if it was just her imagination.

_No, you're right. This boy can't be trusted. Be aware of him. _Yue's voice echoed eerily in her mind. The thought wave made no noise, but Hoshimi could hear it as clearly as if he had spoken through a megaphone.

Hoshimi didn't pay much attention during the rest of the class. All she could think about was the youth sitting next to her. Something wasn't exactly ordinary about this boy… but what? He was a stranger yet she felt like she knew him. He was acting like any other student, yet there was something suspicious about his movements; sly, sinister. He could be completely normal for all she knew, but she just couldn't shake off the feeling that there was much stronger power wreathing within him.

* * *

Finally, the bell for lunch break rang. And just seconds later, Hoshimi found herself surrounded by all the other girls in the class. "Omigod, I love your hair! Is that natural?"

"Yeah, if it's dyed, then you need to tell me where you got it done! It's looks so real!"

"I'm so jealous! My parents won't even let me get highlights, much less streaks!"

"And who does your makeup? I seriously need a lesson from them; that looks so professional!"

"Are you, like, rich?"

"Omigosh, that would be so cool! I'd never met a rich person before!"

Hoshimi shrunk back in her seat. She wasn't sure how to respond to all those questions she was being bombarded with.

"Alright, leave her alone." This time, it was a voice Hoshimi recognized and was more than grateful for. Touya pushed through the crowd of girls and pulled Hoshimi out. "Yes, the hair is natural and she's not wearing any makeup. She's just one of my cousins from Okaa-san's side, here for a visit, maybe staying permanently if she likes it enough. But, at this rate, she'll be leaving in two days if you all keep hoarding her like that."

"Come on, Touya-kun, we're just being friendly!" one of the girls objected, pouting.

"Go be friendly with the other new kid; you're scaring the hell out of this one."

"Oh, all right."

Pouts and dramatic sighs made their way through the group of girls, but eventually they all parted, whispering to each other phrases that Hoshimi could barely make out as, "Do you think Kinomoto-kun is finally going to have a girlfriend? I mean, I saw him staring at her earlier."

"Get real, she's his cousin."

"She's just so beautiful… I don't think even someone like him could resist. Seriously, did you hear him? She looks like a goddess, and it's all natural!"

"Now you're just over exaggerating."

"Whatever,"

Hoshimi stared in amazement and relief as every single one of the girls left the classroom in record time. "H-how did you do that?" she asked, finding her voice.

"Sakura's not the only one he's protective of." Yukito half-teased, and half-answered.

Touya rolled his dark eyes at the snow bunny. "Come on, Yuki. Or I'm having lunch without you."

The three teenagers also filed out of the classroom, none of them realizing the two clouded blue-gray eyes watching them. Arashi stared up from the courtyard, long after the three figures disappeared through the classroom door and out of sight, an unusual look on his pale face. _She's the one…_

* * *

Sakura was with Chiharu, Rika, Noako, and Tomoyo during lunch break. Though she wasn't listening to her friends' happy chatter; her mind was focused on the events of last night. _"It's outside," Sakura had whispered to her brother and guardians. Kero nodded in agreement. Like they had pre-planned it, everyone look a defensive position around the Card Mistress. The room was quiet for the next couple minutes, nobody daring to move. The only sounds that could be heard were shallow breathing and an occasional whisper of wind._

_After about three minutes, that seemed more like three hours, the dark aura finally passed. "It's gone," Yue stated, straightening up from his protective stance. "For now."_

_Everyone else waited for an extra thirty seconds, just to make sure, then they all relaxed. "You two should stay tonight, just in case." Touya suggested, implying to Yue and Hoshimi. Both guardians agreed simultaneously. The sky was darkening anyways, so by the time they would've reached the Tsukishiro residence, it would have already reached nine._

_Nothing happened for the rest of the night, but Sakura couldn't shake off the feeling that something big, something bad, was about to happen. And even today that sense of dread lingered…_

"_Ne, _Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo repeated.

"Sakura-chan! _Sakura-chan!" _Rika was shaking her classmate's arm frantically.

"Hoe...?" Sakura came back to consciousness, though her brain was still a little foggy.

"I was asking you if you wanted to come over tonight. Chiharu-chan and Noako-chan are coming, too." Tomoyo said.

"What about you, Rika-chan?" Sakura glanced curiously to the dark-haired girl.

"I have something to do," came the quiet reply, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.

"Oh. Sure. Just let me check with Onni-chan." The young girl dashed towards the fence separating Tomoeda Elementary from Seijouu High, earnestly scanning for her brother. Suddenly, something stopped her right in her tracks. It was the aura, and it was nearby.

"Sakura!" The Card Mistress' gaze shot towards the familiar voice.

"Onni-chan!"

Touya came to a stop at the fence, gasping for air. "H-hosh-hoshimi… she's b-been—" he began.

"She's been captured," Yukito finished for him.

Sakura heard her own sharp intake of breath. "What happened?" she barely managed to choke out.

"I don't know," Touya's voice was smoother now, and his panting lighter. "We were just eating lunch when all of a sudden, there was a black mist. When it cleared, she was gone."

"And we found this in her place." Yukito held up a piece of paper, with a short message scrawled across it.

" 'Hand over the Cards, or she will die'," Sakura read. "I need to call Kero-chan."

Touya nodded.

"Hurry, Sakura-chan, Yue says that whoever sent this note wasn't bluffing." Yukito warned.

"Un!" Sakura nodded, making her speedy way towards the bushes at the corner of the yard.

Yukito and Touya exchanged worried glances, though both knew there was nothing more they could do.


	8. In the Dungeon

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 8

In the Dungeon

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and another character that will appear later in the story. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigatou Firestripe49, heeromew4113, animeandmangafangirl, and pricious7divil for the reviews! I thought the last chapter was kind of like Revealed, what with the mysterious new transfer student and all. Anyone else? Note: matte= wait, daijobou ka= are you alright, and tadiama= I'm home]

Hoshimi struggled in the darkness. She couldn't see anything, but she hadn't lost her sense of touch yet. Something was definitely binding her. "Let me go!" she shouted. "Let me out of here!"

"Oh, don't worry," her captor's smooth voice, like a polished blade, replied. "I have a feeling someone will be here to rescue you soon."

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"It's not you I want… "

"Then why?"

"It's what your Mistress will give for you."

Hoshimi froze, her vain attempts to break free all but forgotten. "How… how do you know of my Mistress?"

"There are very few things that I don't know around here."

The star guardian lowered her voice, until it was barely a whisper. "Who are you?" she repeated, almost dreading the answer.

There was no response. For a while Hoshimi thought that he—for it was a male voice she was speaking to—had left. But so unexpectedly, to her complete surprise, her sight returned. The black strip of fog that had covered her eyes flew back to its creator, making one, two, three circles around his head before dissipating into thin air. Hoshimi squinted, not yet accustomed to the sudden light, trying to see the figure that stood before her. Yet all she could make out was the silhouette of a young man in a deep blue cloak, its hue so dark it was almost black.

Looking down at herself now, Hoshimi saw that she was bound with some type of magical rope, ones that glowed a blackish colour every time she moved. "You're a magician," she observed.

Her captor inclined in his head once in what she interpreted as a nod. "Indeed, I am,"

"Where are we? What is it you're after?"

"Quite the inquisitive one, aren't you? That's enough questions for now. You'll get all your answers in due time."

"Matte!"

But the figure was already gone, a few wisps of black smoke floating around in the spot where he had stood. Hoshimi sighed. There wasn't much else she could do now, besides wait.

* * *

"NANI!? Hoshimi's been kidnapped?" Kero's voice practically shouted into the phone.

Sakura winced, pulling the phone a bit farther from her ear. "Hai, Kero-chan, I've said that three times now."

"And you'll have to give up your Cards to save her?" Kero questioned.

"Un," she confirmed. "What am I going to do?"

"You can't ditch school now, or there'll be questions. Finish the day, and then call Yue over. I need to talk with him. "

"Yue-san's planning on coming over anyways, but Otou-san's home tonight. We won't be able to do anything like a rescue mission if that's what you're thinking."

"Of course not, kiddo! What'd you think I was, a dumb plush toy? Iie, we'll just plan the rescue mission and go at midnight!"

Sakura collapsed anime-style. "You've been playing too much video games, Kero-chan."

"So then we can kick ass with Keroberos Super Special, and show those big meanies that we're not to be messed with!" Kero let out his victorious ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha laugh. "Then they'll be begging for mercy! That teaches you a lesson to mess with the all-mighty Seal Beast!"

Sakura listened as the sun creature ranted on, her eyes turning to dots and a sweatdrop forming on her head. "A-ano, the bell's about to ring. I'd better get going!"

She hung up, and gave a deep sigh. Sometimes the Guardian Beast was so hard to talk to, especially when he'd been alone all day, probably raiding the kitchen for sweets and shooting away at his video games. Kero was most likely high on sugar now, but he'll calmer by the time Sakura got home.

Heading back to her friends, Sakura took her seat again. "Gomen nasai, Tomoyo-chan, but I can't go tonight. Onni-chan just told me of an important event that popped up." she apologized. "Maybe next time."

"Daijobou ka? You looked a bit scared over there… Is it something we can help with?" Chiharu offered.

"Iie, iie, I was just a little surprised."

"Are you certain we can't help?"

"I'm sure we'll be fine on our own."

"If you change your mind, you can give any of us a call and we'll be there, ne?"

Rika, Noako, and Tomoyo all nodded.

"Now what were we talking about before?"

"There's a cooking contest next month. I heard the students at Seijouu High will be hosting it, and we can all enter!"

"What are you going to make, Rika-chan? You're the best cook among us!"

"I don't think I'm that good…"

"Oh, don't be so modest! Of course you are!"

Sakura joined in on the conversation, but her mind was drifting elsewhere. _Hoshimi-san…._

* * *

"Tadiama!" Sakura called.

Kero came flying at her, almost smacking into her face. "I thought there weren't any practices today; Yue and your brother are getting snappy. We were all worried."

"Gomen ne, I forgot to write it down. Sorry to keep you all waiting." Sakura set her shoes down, then pulled on her slippers, and hurried to the living room. Kero followed behind her.

Sure enough, Yue and Touya were already there. The Judgment Angel was standing with his back to her, staring out the window. Touya was sitting on the couch. He got up as soon as he saw Sakura enter the room. "Where were you?" the elder Kinomoto demanded of his sister. "Don't tell me you were trying to do something foolish like get Hoshimi back without us!"

"Nothing like that! I had cheerleading practice, but I just forgot the write it down!" Sakura quickly explained, feeling herself shrinking under her brother's death glare.

At that, Touya relaxed. "You had me worried sick," he mumbled. "Don't do that again."

"Oi, Yue? Sakura's here, but apparently, you're not. Snap out of it!" Kero hovered beside his fellow guardian's ear and shouted at his counterpart.

"Stop shouting, will you?" came the slightly irritated response. Then the moon guardian turned to face his Mistress. "The enemy we're facing is not only powerful, if he is able to take Hoshimi without our noticing, but also clever. In the note, there is never any mention of where to find them. He is implying that we figure it out ourselves. Which also means that he is nearby."

"How do you know that?" Kero questioned.

"The fog had the same aura as the attacks before. And they were all around the same area. If he was not at least in a five-mile radius of Tomoeda City, such spells would not be as affective, no matter how much power the opponent possesses."

"And it wouldn't make sense if he ran off with Hoshimi, since he's waiting for the Cards in exchange." Touya added.

"How do you know it's a he?" Sakura inquired.

"Because we've got an idea who it might be," Yue and Touya answered in unsion.

* * *

Hoshimi didn't know how long it had been since her captor had left her. She was still in her human guise, and with her body bound, she couldn't find a way to transform or use any magic. Not that she knew much about her use of powers, anyways.

_They're not coming after all,_ she thought disappointedly to herself.

_Hoshimi, are you there?_ a new voice entered her mind.

_Yue-san? Kero-san? It's not my imagination?_

_Hai; it's Keroberos. Where are you?_

_I… I don't know._

_Keroberos, the enemy isn't as stupid as to let his prisoner know her location so she can contact a rescue party. _Yue's voice joined the conversation.

_H-how can I hear you? _Hoshimi questioned.

_It's a special gift called telepathy, _Kero answered.

_It forms when there is a deep or strong bond between guardians, and guardians only. It allows us to communicate with each other when we are in separate places, _Yue continued.

_It also takes immense power, so it's not common among all magical beings. So hurry up and tell us where you are before all my magic drains away._ Kero said, impatience and urgency creeping into his voice.

_Not so fast._

Hoshimi gasped. Her captor had returned. _Help me! Kero-san, Yue-san, Mistress, anyone! Please, help! _The star being called out with her mind, though she got no response. It was as if the telephone line connecting the guardians' thoughts had been abruptly slain. "W-what did you do?" she stammered.

"Oh, I can't have you sending for your friends yet. I've got much more in store for them." Just then, Hoshimi caught a glimpse of sapphire eyes, before the cloaked figure turned away and disappeared. "But stay patient; the party will begin soon…"


	9. Storm Clouds Ahead

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 9

Storm Clouds Ahead

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi, and Arashi Tanaka. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Thanks to animeandmangafangirl and FireStripe49 for reviewing! Review, everyone, onegai! I changed the disclaimer; though I really should have done so a while ago. ^_^;; Note: tadaima= I'm home, minna= everyone, soda= I know, daidjobou= it's alright, arigatou= thanks]

"Onni-chan, you can't go around blaming every single new transfer student!" Sakura protested.

"I don't blame _every single one." _Touya defended himself.

"Syoaran-kun, Meilin-chan, Eriol-kun, Nakuru-san…." Sakura began listing, bending down one finger as she counted each one off.

"I didn't blame Yuki."

"But you're accusing Tanaka-san for something we've no proof he's done!"

"I was right about the last two, wasn't I?"

"That doesn't mean you're right this time!"

Yue and Kero exchanged exasperated glances. "Are you two done bickering?" Kero inquired impatiently. The sun beast was in his celestial form now, as he often was when conversing with Yue about a serious matter. "If you are, we'd like to report _something important about Hoshimi._ "

The very mention of the star guardian's name was enough to pause the siblings mid-quarrel.

"We have just contacted Hoshimi through telepathy." Kero began.

"Nani? You can do that?" Sakura questioned.

Kero nodded.

"But our opponent had cut off our telepathic connections before we could determine her location." Yue continued.

"This is extremely unnerving since that task could take a lifetime to master. Telepathy is formed only through a strong bond between guardians, something not easily interrupted. It can be omitted through our own will and nothing more. To be able to break through that bond would take power beyond even Sakura's skill." Kero finished.

"To exceed the strength of the Card Master… is that even possible?" Touya asked.

"I have never encountered such." Yue answered. "Then again, our Mistress is still young and has much more to learn. Her powers may increase in the future. It's been not yet a year since the last of the Cards has been sealed and transformed."

"Demo—" Sakura started.

"Tadaima!" Fujitaka called.

Both guardians instinctively summoned their wings and snapped them into a cocoon. The plush toy Kero-chan ducked behind the couch. Yukito, though confused, took his seat beside Sakura, saving his questions for later. "Welcome home!" Touya called.

"Welcome!" Sakura chirped. "We're in the living room!"

Fujiktaka peered in, giving them all a smile. "Konnichiwa, minna-san. Tsukishiro-san, I take it you're studying with Touya-kun tonight?"

"Hai," Yukito answered.

"Back so soon? I thought you had some work you needed to catch up on at the university?" Touya questioned.

"There's been a power outage. The due date's been postponed until tomorrow. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen. I want to get an early start on dinner, for all those times I've been away." Fujitaka explained, and then ducked out of sight.

"We can continue discussion upstairs," Touya suggested, lowering his voice.

"Un," Sakura agreed. Kero hopped out from his hiding spot into one of the pockets of Sakura's uniform jacket. Then all four of them made their way upstairs.

* * *

The next day, at Seijouu High…

Yukito couldn't focus entirely on the lesson; Yue was unusually antsy that evening. _Is something bothering you? _The snow rabbit asked. Before the moon being could reply, Yukito chuckled to himself. _Silly me; it's Hoshimi, isn't it?_

_I don't trust her by herself. _Yue responded, though his voice betrayed nothing as to what he was feeling.

_You don't trust Hoshimi, or her in the hands of the opponent?_

_Both, I suppose. She was, after all, the reason for our… situation. _

_You mean the splitting._

The Judgment Angel was silent.

_It wasn't her fault._

_Soda. But her power is unnatural. _

_How so?_

_We, Keroberos and I, came into this world like all mortals do: as infants. Clow designed us to continue outward growth until a certain age, then we shall obtain that appearance for the rest of our lives. But Hoshimi was created already grown. _

_Could it be that some guardians are supposed to turn out that way? Or can it be the different locations in which your creations occurred?_

_Before moving to Japan, Keroberos, Clow, and I resided in China as well as in England. _Yue's face now held a thoughtful expression. _But no matter where we traveled, every guardian I've met was raised from the form of a child._

_Maybe it's the—_

"Yuki! Yuki!" someone was shaking his shoulder.

Yukito quickly snapped out of his mental conversation. Looking around, he saw the classroom empty. Then, turning his gaze over to the source of the voice, his best friend was watching him with a worried expression. "Yuki," Touya said. "Class is over."

"Ah, gomen. I've been holding you up." Yukito apologized, beginning to gather his books and stuff them into his bag.

"Are you coming down with something? You've spent the whole class staring off into outer space."

"Iie, Yue and I were just chatting."

"Good, I could use some immortal advice."

Yukito could see Yue raise an eyebrow at the term.

"I was thinking we should confront him today. We need to act quickly before something bad happens."

Yue was considering. Yukito was trying to piece together what Touya meant. "Yue says to wait until the scheduled time. We can't risk the chance of being wrong. We need to collect more evidence to be sure."

Touya grunted, but didn't argue.

* * *

Sakura brought Kero with her to school that day. She figured if, or rather when, the enemy decided to attack, she'd be prepared.

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo whispered from her desk.

Sakura turned to her friend. Just last night, after they had decided to keep an eye on Arashi until they found a good time to confront him, Sakura had called Tomoyo and explained everything. She wanted as much help as she could get with this situation. Tomoyo had suggested they call Syaoran and Meilin to at least inform them, but Sakura objected. _It would only cause them worry for something they can't help with_, she had said. _And I don't want Syaoran-kun and Meilin-chan to be troubled. _

"Daidjobou. Don't worry too much about it." Tomoyo reassured her.

"Arigatou, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura gave Tomoyo a grateful smile.

"Please don't be troubled. After all, a smile suits you best, Sakura-chan."

"Hai!"

* * *

Touya kept glancing over his shoulder at Yukito. His snow rabbit friend was not at his usual attentiveness that day. Something wasn't quite right... Suddenly, dark swirls of mist started to form around Yukito, who was slowly falling asleep. Touya gasped aloud, though he didn't intend to. A few other students turned around to see what was going on. Astonished looks appeared on their faces. "Yuki!" Touya shouted, jumping out from his seat.

Before he could do anything more, a blinding light filled the room. Then, when it vanished, the black mist was gone too. And, in Yukito's place, Yue was there, in the exact same position the snow rabbit had last been in. The moon guardian's arms were crossed onto the desk, his head resting on top of them. A collective gasp echoed throughout the classroom.

"Yue?" Touya whispered.


	10. A Bit More than Bargained For

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 10

A Bit More than Bargained For

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi and Arashi Tanaka. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigatou animeandmangafangirl for the review! I really appreciate thos—

Kero: {pops up with a you-ate-sweets-without-me expression} Why!?

MR: …Why what?

Kero: Why does it always happen to Yue? Everything exciting always happens to Yue! You people never pay any attention to me! {sulk}

MR: Ano… I'm not quite sure how to respond to that.

Kero: You all hate me, don't you? Everyone spoils Yue! It's not fair!

MR: {sweatdrop} Kero, dear, I'm trying to—

Kero: {teary eyes, face pressed up close to screen} Nobody likes me!

MR: {double sweatdrop} Uh…

Kero: {bawling}

Mysterious voice in the background: So you want some of the fun, eh? Well, it won't be long now…

MR: {finally gets angsty Kero off set} Ahem. As I was saying, I really appreciate any reviews. {lowers voice to a whisper and leans in} And Kero could use some consolation as well, if you know what I mean. Anyways, even if it's for our little sun guardian's mental health, review, onegai! Note: matte= wait, soka= I see]

The scene around Yue and Touya froze. Literally. Just mere seconds later, Sakura and Kero flew in through the open window of the classroom. Sakura turned Fly back into its card form, and then looked over to her brother and her guardian. "I felt the aura again, and something told me to come here." She explained.

"Looks like we came just in time, too." Kero commented. "What's wrong with Yue?"

"I—" Touya started.

"NANI?!" the sun guardian did a double take. "Yue!? What's he doing here?"

Touya and Sakura sweatdropped.

"Time's magic doesn't last very long," Sakura warned.

"What are we going to do about Yu—" Touya began, only to be interrupted by a certain Seal Beast… again.

"OI, YUE, WAKE UP!" Kero yelled.

Touya winced, his hands flying up to cover his ears. "You could at least give us some warning before you shatter our eardrums," he muttered. Sakura felt her body still vibrating from the shout. It was surprising how such a loud noise could come from a tiny creature like Kero.

But the moon angel didn't stir. He was like an icicle, almost, beautiful and still, frozen in place. "Yue?" Kero's brow burrowed.

"Try telepathy," Sakura suggested.

_Yue… Yue…_ Kero called out mentally. _Yue, what's going on with you?_

_Locked… Can't break… through… _Yue's words were faint, distanced, despite the fact that the two creations were right next to each other.

_Eh? What on earth does that mean?_

_Break… lock…_

_What lock? How? You're not making any sense!_

_Magic… spell… Mistress must… _

_Must what?_

_Cut… Sword…_

_Are you insane!? Sakura isn't going to cut you!_

_Bound… locked… _Yue's voice was fading, becoming nothing more than an echo. Soon, it disappeared altogether.

_Yue! YUE! GET BACK HERE! _But the moon being was gone. The only voice in Kero's head was his own. Sighing, the little creature withdrew from his thoughts. "Yue was saying something about a lock. Couldn't get through clearly, but I think he was trying to say that Sakura should use Sword to cut through the spell that binds him." Kero related.

"Hoe? How am I supposed to… matte, this is sort of like the thread that bound Syaoran-kun!" the Card Mistress exclaimed, pulling out Watery. "We should be able to see what's holding Yue-san with this! WATERY!"

The Card circled around her guardian, surrounding Yue with a cage of water. Then it made its way back to its Mistress, returning to Card form once more. Touya, Sakura, and Kero all stared, waiting for the crystalline drops of water to catch onto something. But it didn't. After a while, the water cage dissipated, as if saying, _it's no use; there's nothing there._

"Not thread, then. And nothing material, either, or else Watery would've caught onto it." Kero observed. "And we can't use Sword without knowing where to aim it. It could harm Yue if we weren't specific with our instructions, since this Card's under the sun." All three were silent for a moment, each trying to devise a plan. "Try Shield. It blocks out magic, right?" said Kero.

"That's true," agreed Sakura, taking the Card out. "SHIELD!"

A glossy, translucent dome formed over the moon guardian. Slowly, dark shreds of magic appeared, floating lazily around Yue's frozen body, like clouds hovering above Earth.

"We can see the spell now, but the problem is how to break through it." Touya spoke up.

"That's easy; Sakura can use Sword to slice…" Kero trailed off. "Oh. Hehehe, I guess I didn't think this out very well, ne?"

Only then did Sakura and Kero realize their mistake. By casting Shield over Yue, they were now unable to use Sword without breaking through Shield first. And if they did shatter Shield, they wouldn't be able to see the spell anymore, thus risking accidentally harming the guardian underneath. What could they do?

Sakura pressed the back of one hand to her forehead. "Time's giving way; I can't support it anymore." She informed her brother.

"There's nothing we can do about it, then." Kero said, hiding himself in the folds of Sakura's skirt. "Let's leave, quickly, before we cause even more questions."

"We can't just leave Yue like this," Touya opposed.

"No, you can't."

Sakura gasped, swiveling around. She recognized this voice. It was one she hadn't heard in a long time, but she was happy to hear it again. "Eriol-kun!"

* * *

Hoshimi didn't know how much time had passed since she'd been captured. Minutes felt like hours, and days like weeks. All she knew was that her captor wasn't about to let her go. The last time he had visited her, she had questioned him about exactly that.

"Your friends are taking longer than I expected. But no matter, I'll wait a thousand years if that's what it takes to get what I want." He had replied.

"What _do _you want?" she'd asked.

"I can't have you knowing that just yet."

Hoshimi was struggling not to cry from frustration and fear. "Please," she breathed. "I don't have what you want. Please let me go."

"I wouldn't say that. You have your Mistress' love. And that's what I'm counting on."

That conversation seemed extremely distant now. Like it had happened ages ago. Actually, everything she could recall seemed like forever ago, another life. Meeting her half-brothers, training, school… Perhaps it had only been a days since those things occurred, but to the star being, it felt like an eternity. "Yue-san, Kero-san, Mistress…" she whispered, hot tears stinging her amber eyes. "Help me."

* * *

"Soka," Eriol murmured. "If that's the case, then first remove Shield. I should be able to dispel the magic."

Sakura had just explained to her friend the situation. Eriol, in turn, responded with an explanation of his own: that he had had an uneasy feeling for the last week, and some part of him told him to come to Tomoeda. He then sensed a somewhat mysterious aura and came to investigate, only to be lead to Seijouu High. Now both magicians were working together to devise a plan to free Yue.

"Touya-kun!" Nakuru latched herself onto the elder Kinomoto's back. "I've missed you!"

"I can hardly say the same for you," Touya mumbled under his breath.

Spinel Sun watched, shaking his head in disapproval. Sometimes his counterpart was so immature…

"Hey ya, Suppi!" an Osaka-accented voice greeted him.

At the nickname, a crossvien popped on the black cat's head. "My _name _is Spinel Sun, _Keroberos_."

"You were the one who first told me your name was Suppi!" Kero retorted.

"I couldn't risk having you know my real identity at that time!"

"Whatever you say, Suppi."

Another crossvein appeared, even bigger than the previous one.

But the golden bear-like creature remained oblivious, taunting his fellow sun guardian. "Suppi, Suppi, Suppi…" Kero sang.

"I would murder you right now, but I've got better things to do." Spinel replied briskly.

Eriol chuckled, watching his creations get reacquainted with Sakura's brother and sun guardian. Focusing his attention back on Yue, the reincarnation summoned his magical staff. Sakura lowered Shield. Immediately, Eriol chanted a spell in a language foreign to Sakura. The black wisps of cloud began to disperse.

Yue lifted his head from his folded arms. His normally neat features looked a little fuzzy, as if he had just woken up from a nap. The feathers of the moon angel's great wings were a bit ruffled, a few creases were in Yue's robes, and there was a tired look in his violet silver eyes. But other than that, everything else seemed to be alright with the guardian. "Clow?" It was a question, not a statement; as if Yue couldn't quite trust what his eyes were showing him.

Eriol nodded, a gentle smile on his face. "It's good to see you again, Yue. It's been a while."

Before the moon being could say any more, Nakuru jumped onto him. "I'm back!" she announced.

But, unlike Touya, Yue stood as still as a statue, not even flinching. "What happened?" the question was directed towards Touya, his brother, and his Mistress. "The last thing I am able to recall was Yukito falling asleep under some spell."

"The enemy must have more power than I gave him credit for." Kero mused. "Hoshimi was an inexperienced guardian, still in training, but Yue… he's had about two centuries of experience, dammit!"

"Hoshimi… was that what you'd named the new guardian, Sakura-san?" Eriol inquired.

"Un," the Card Mistress responded. "I was going to write about this to you, but recently, just two days ago, she'd been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Spinel echoed.

Sakura nodded in confirmation. "Please come over to my house. I'll explain everything there. This time spell must be exhausting to you, ne, Eriol-kun?"

Eriol, who had frozen the course of time with his own spell after the Time Card wore off, smiled gratefully. "Arigatou. We would like that." The four guardians, two mages, and one brother exited the classroom, Eriol releasing his spell, resuming time to its usual course.

"Hmm?" The sensei walked over to Touya's desk. "When did this get here?" In her hand, there was a hurriedly written note stating that he and Yukito were not feeling well that afternoon and decided to go home and rest. "Weren't both Kinomoto and Tsukishiro here just a second ago…?"


	11. Not Far Now

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 11

Not Far Now

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi and Arashi Tanaka. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: I am really pleased with the status of this story. First off, it has the most favourites. Second, it has the most followers. And finally, it's got the most reviews! DOMO ARIGATOU! Seriously, all of you who made this story special, I am so grateful! I hope you all continue supporting Of Suns, Moons, and Stars. Enjoy! Review, too! Note: demo= but, honto =really, gomen ne=sorry, and matte ne=see you later]

"Eriol-kun, I have a question." Sakura stated. It was now early evening, and everyone who knew about magic (the exceptions being Syaoran, Meilin, and Kaho of course) were all gathered in the Kinomoto living room. Tomoyo had come over too, having gotten a call from Sakura after school. All of the guardians—except for Yue—were in their false forms for the meeting, and Touya had insisted on missing work to be there as well.

"Please don't hesitate to ask," the dark-haired reincarnation responded.

"How come, when I changed the Shield Card, it was easy to dispel your magic, but it was so difficult with that earlier spell?"

"The answer to that is simple: I wanted you to break my spell. The only reason that I cast it, really, was to have you change the Card. And when you had, I didn't need it to continue on. But whoever was responsible for that enchantment… they didn't want you to free Yue."

"But how could they force Yue out?" Kero inquired. "He was in the form of that snow rabbit before, and—"

"And he can speak for himself." Yue snapped, cutting his counterpart short.

"That, Keroberos, is a very good question. One I'm not sure I can answer." Eriol replied.

"Demo, why would they want to have Yue unconscious?" Touya questioned.

"You'd think that would be obvious." Kero sneered.

Touya shot the sun beast a glare.

"One less guardian means one less obstacle." Spinel answered. "Think about it, Yue's duty—any guardian's duty—is to protect their Master. So if you take one of the guardians out from the picture, that leaves Sakura a bit more vulnerable."

"That makes sense," agreed Tomoyo. "Fewer protectors results in an easier job."

"Or an unfair bargain." Kero added. "Hoshimi was taken to act as a trade. Her freedom in exchange for the Cards."

"Honto? That's cruel," Nakuru commented.

"Too bad they couldn't have taken you instead." Touya murmured quietly.

Spinel, who was close enough to hear the remark, snickered.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Eriol asked.

"I… I don't know. Both the Cards and Hoshimi-san are valuable to me, and I can't bear to lose either of them." Sakura said.

"You won't have to. We'll take Hoshimi back ourselves, and teach the enemy a lesson! Next time, they'll think twice before messing with the Card Mistress!" Kero all but shouted, pumping his little fisted paw into the air.

Everyone else, except Tomoyo (who was giving her ohhohohoho laugh), sweatdropped.

"Typical. When faced with a test, he's scared as hell. But, in a situation which could end in death, there's not so much as one drop of fear." Yue mumbled.

"I was not _that _scared!" retorted Kero.

"Oh yes you were!" Touya and Sakura chorused in unison.

"I rest my case," Yue said, eyeing his brother, who was toppled over on the ground from an anime-style fall. "But I do agree with Keroberos, at least in part. We are by no means going to trade away the Cards."

"I take it that means a rescue party?" Eriol inquired.

Yue nodded.

"We'll come, too!" Nakuru piped up. "I, for one, want to meet another female guardian!"

"What happened to being genderless?" Spinel muttered.

"Why are you always so obsessive about my gender!?" Nakuru shouted, exasperation and annoyance clear in her tone.

"But Ruby Moon is right. We will go with you." Spinel told Sakura, not even dignifying his sister's outburst with a response.

"Arigatou. I would appreciate all the help I can get." The Card Mistress replied.

"So what's your next move going to be?" Eriol asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Kero said. "We don't know the location of Hoshimi or our enemy, and I don't think they're about to come find us, either."

"Our prime suspect—our only suspect, really—is this new transfer student, Tanaka Arashi. But we haven't had a chance to confront him yet." Touya stated.

Just then, as soon as Touya finished his sentence, Sakura slumped over. "Sakura!" Kero shouted, rushing to his Mistress' aid. Yue was also by Sakura's side in a flash. The Dream Card slipped out from her pocket, spinning and hovering above the young girl's head.

"She'll be fine," Eriol reassured, Clow's voice filtering through. "Dream just wants to show her something."

* * *

Sakura looked around. Where was she? Then she gasped, realizing she was once again at Tsukimine Shrine. But wasn't the Final Judgment over? Why was she having this dream again? [A/N: I wrote this part according to the manga. In the anime, the Final Judgment took place at Tokyo Tower.]

Looking up at the entrance gate, Sakura saw that there was a figure standing on it. But it wasn't Yue. There was no long hair or large wings. Instead, the figure was hooded in a deep blue cloak. Two sapphire eyes stared at her. "The Cards," it was a male voice that spoke.

"W-where's Hoshimi-san?" Sakura ventured.

"Right here…" The figure extended his hand, and a dark orb appeared. He threw it down, and the sphere grew in size as it dropped. Finally, just barely above the Card Mistress' reach, it stopped. Hoshimi appeared inside it. The star guardian was standing up, pounding at the orb that contained her. She was still in her disguise form.

"Mistress!" she cried, spotting Sakura.

Sakura gasped, gripping her left hand inside her pocket, where she kept her Sakura Cards. Her other hand was wrapped around the staff. "Please let her go. I don't want to fight."

"Then hand over your Cards."

"No!"

"The Cards!"

"I can't, I won't!" Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes. Swiping them away, she looked daringly up at the enemy. "I won't give you my Cards."

"Very well, Card Mistress. You have two days to change your mind. I'll meet you here again then." The figure swiped his cloak around him and disappeared, Hoshimi going along with a cry of protest.

Sakura continued to stand there, staring at the spot Hoshimi had occupied, defeated.

"Don't worry, Mistress." Dream's soft voice assured her. Sakura looked around, but there was no one there. She tried to locate where the sound was coming from, but it wasn't coming from just one direction. It was coming from all around her, like an echo. "Everything is going to be alright, ne?" Dream continued. "Just do your best. We all believe in you."

"Arigatou." Sakura whispered, clutching her staff closer. Her grip on the Cards loosened. "Arigatou, Dream."

* * *

Sakura stirred. "She's waking up," someone mumbled beside her, clutching one of the Card Mistress' hands. Another pair of hands helped her sit up, and Sakura rubbed her eyes.

Tomoyo was beside her, and Touya was holding her up. Tomoyo removed her hands from those of her friend's and eyed Sakura with concern. "What am I doing here? Wasn't I just in the living room?" Sakrua inquired, confused. She glanced around, surprised to find herself in her own bedroom, on her bed. Kero and Yue were standing in front of her, matching looks of worry on their faces. "Where's Eriol-kun and the others?"

"Downstairs. They're waiting for you." Touya answered.

"Oh, gomen ne! I didn't mean to hold them up!" Sakura flipped off the covers and rushed downstairs. Just like her brother had said, Eriol and his guardians were still seated downstairs.

"Daidjobou ka, Sakura-chan?" Nakuru asked upon spotting the girl.

"Hai! Daidjobou." Sakura responded, smiling brightly.

"Well, we need to get going. It's getting late." Eriol declared, standing up.

"Where are you staying, Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo questioned, descending the stairs. "Wasn't your mansion torn down to make room for the amusement park?"

"We'll find a hotel." Spinel replied.

"Why don't you three stay at my house? We have a lot of guest rooms." Tomoyo offered.

"We don't want to be of any trouble," Eriol said.

"It's no trouble,"

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Daidoujii-san."

"We'll be leaving now, Sakura-chan. Matte ne." Tomoyo waved at Sakura, and then exited the room after Eriol. Sakura heard the opening and closing of a door before they were gone.

"I should depart also." Yue summoned his wings, ready to snap them into a cocoon.

"Wait!" Kero objected. "Yukito hasn't seen me in this form yet! It'll scare him! Let me go first!"

Yue sighed. "Hurry up,"

Kero growled, remembering what happened last time his counterpart used that line. Eriol had trapped them both in their celestial forms. It had been one of the worst experiences of his life, ranking only below the time Clow banned him from having sweets for a month after he had raided the entire pantry for the third time that week. The sun beast unfurled his great wings, and weaved them together to form the transformation cocoon. Yue did the same a few seconds later.

"You'll be alright, Sakura-chan?" Yukito shot the Card Mistress a worried glance.

"I'll be fine; I've got Kero-chan and Onii-chan. Plus, I have the Cards." Sakura insisted, beaming in what she hoped to be a reassuring fashion.

Casting one last look of concern at the young girl, the snow rabbit set out for the door. When he too had left, Touya propped Sakura on the head. "Time for bed, kaijuu."

"Hai," came the weary response. As Sakura passed by her brother on her way upstairs, Kero exchanged confused looks with Touya.


	12. Battefield

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 12

Battlefield

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi and Arashi Tanaka. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Arigatou Korisu-chan for reviewing! Not much to say here… enjoy, and please review!]

Two days had passed, with no strange magical occurrences of any sort. Everything was normal for a while, but Sakura knew it was only the calm before the storm. The real trouble was ahead.

She had kept the dream that day to herself. Her guardians were the only ones who knew of it. Sakura had felt like the situation was strictly between them, her, Hoshimi, and the enemy. She didn't want to draw anyone else into their fight. If anything happened to her friends, she felt like it would be her fault for getting them involved. Sakura sighed. She knew that Eriol, Ruby, Spinel, and Tomoyo would want to help and support her. But—

"Jeez, what's up with you, Sakura?" Kero asked, partly concerned, partly annoyed. "You're gonna bore a hole in your floor if ya keep pacing back and forth like that."

Sakura stopped abruptly. "Today's the day." she answered simply. "I'll have to face him today."

"Oh, you mean the enemy? Two days sure pass by quickly. You'll be fine; don't sweat it."

"Kero-chan, what happens if I can't do it?"

"Eh?"

"What if I can't defeat the enemy? If I'm not strong enough to get Hoshimi-san back?"

"Listen to yourself, Sakura. You've captured and transformed all the Cards, convinced Yue to pass you in the Final Judgment, _and _defeated Clow Reed's reincarnation's spell. There is no 'if'; you're going to succeed for sure. You still have your invincible spell, right?"

"Un!" Sakura held her hands up to her chin, lacing her fingers together. "Everything will definitely be alright."

"That's the Cardcaptor we all know and love!"

"Arigatou, Kero-chan. Now I need to hurry and get to Tsukimine Shrine. Yue-san's probably there already, waiting for us." Sakura picked herself up from where she was seated at her desk and grabbed her backpack. Kero flew into the open mouth of the bag. Checking her pocket and neckline for the Cards and Key, Sakura quickly made sure her mediums were in place before heading outside.

* * *

School had just finished for the day, and a couple students were still on their way back from it. Sakura had left as soon as the bell rung, quickly explaining to her confused friends that she had an appointment. _It wasn't completely a lie, _she told herself._ I do have an appointment; it's just not the type they think. But I still kind of feel bad about it… _

Arriving at the shrine, the Card Mistress began scanning the grounds for her moon guardian. Instead of the expected snow rabbit, Yue himself was waiting for her. "Are you crazy, Yue?" Kero hissed, poking his head out from the bag and leering at his counterpart. "Showing up in your true form in broad daylight?"

"You underestimate me that much, Keroberos?" Yue replied. "A spell has been cast here."

"Hoe?" Sakura looked around, trying to sense the magic. An uneasy feeling welled up inside her. Yue was right. There was a shielding spell over the entire area of Tsukimine Shrine, making everyone and everything that set foot inside unseen to both mortals and magicians. It was also a barrier, allowing only certain people to enter or exit.

Slowly stepping backwards, Sakura tried to exit the shrine. She was met with a solid surface of magic. _Just as I thought, I'm not allowed to leave._ There was no turning back now.

Kero, having come to the same realization as Sakura, fluttered out from the backpack and switched forms. "Hoshimi! I sense her aura!"

Before either of his comrades could stop him, Kero began to fly into the shrine. Having no choice but to follow, Sakura and Yue flew after the sun beast. The trio stopped in front of the moon pond, which Sakura had said was used for fortune-telling. Kero was staring at something floating above the very middle of the body of water. As Sakura and Yue neared, they saw what was there. It was Hoshimi, in her celestial form. Her wings were spread out wide, and she was like the image of a golden statue, almost standing on top of the water. But her eyes were blank, empty.

Without so much as a warning, Kero suddenly and silently lunged at the star being.

"NO, KERO-CHAN!" Sakura shouted. But she was a second too late. The illusion dissipated, and Kero began falling at great speed into the half-frozen pond. "Wind—"

"Not that one," Yue cut in. "Use Float."

"Hoe?" Sakura gave her moon guardian a look that said she didn't comprehend, but did as he suggested. "FLOAT!"

The bubble-gum pink bubble caught Kero just before he collided with the thin ice, and then slowly brought him back to his brother and Mistress. "Kero-chan, how could you be so careless!?" Sakura cried, moving towards the heavily-panting Seal Beast.

"Don't," Yue put out his arm, stopping the young girl. "He's being controlled."

Kero turned, snarling at them. His golden eyes were now clouded over, like storm clouds blocking out the sun.

"W-what should I do?" Sakura fearfully glanced between her two guardians.

"Dark," Yue advised. "The Dark will block his vision. Then proceed with Light."

"But why not just use Lig—" Sakura began. She didn't have time to finish, as Kero shot a giant fireball at her.

Yue moved her out of the way just in time. "Dark, quickly!" he instructed.

"DARK!" Sakura activated the Card. Blackness filled the surrounding area, leaving only herself and Yue visible. Kero was half-drowned in shadows, struggling to see.

"Now," Yue said, signaling for Sakura to use Light.

"LIGHT!" The Card cleared all the darkness and Kero froze. When he looked up, Sakura's heart surged with joy to see those familiar golden eyes again. They held a puzzled expression in them.

Before any of them could anything, three solid claps sounded from behind. Sakura, Kero, and Yue swiveled around and gasped. A cloaked figure was standing there, a few steps away. The figure pulled down his hood, revealing his features.

A wave of recognition flashed over Yue's face. "So it is you, Tanaka." he snarled.

Arashi smirked. "You realized that a little too late, ne?" The magician regarded the Card Mistress expectantly.

"Where's my guardian?" Sakura asked.

"Again?" An amused smirk appeared on Arashi's face. "A bargain is a bargain, Card Mistress. I will return her, once you hand over your Cards."

"Hoshimi is _not _going to be passed around like some type of currency." Kero growled. "Do not speak of her as if she were your possession."

"Ah, but she is, currently." Arashi's smirk broadened. "And you should hardly be the one to speak, Keroberos. You yourself were my possession only mere seconds ago."

That did it. Kero's anger had reached its full boiling point. He pounced, wrath and hatred radiating off the Seal Beast. While Kero's aim was fast and precise, Arashi's mind was quicker. The magician teleported before the sun guardian hit him, reappearing a couple paces away from Yue. Kero swore.

"Card Mistress, do you really want to begin a battle?" Arashi questioned menacingly. "Because I am very capable of doing so."

"None of us want to fight," Yue retorted crisply. "But we will if that's what it takes to get Hoshimi back."

"I told you what you need to do if you want your fellow guardian back. Either hand over the Cards and settle this matter peacefully, or I will take them by force and you shall never get her back."

At this, Yue swore, but in English, so Sakura wouldn't understand.

Kero gritted his teeth, punctuating every word. "We. Won't. Hand. You. The. Cards,"

"Card Mistress? Is that alright with you?" Arashi glanced at the young girl. "So far, you've let your guardians do all the speaking for you."

Sakura looked like she was trying not to cry, biting down on her trembling lower lip and avoiding anyone's eyes. "My guardian first, then the Cards." she said.

Yue and Kero looked over to their Mistress in surprise and shock. "Sakura…" Kero began, speechless.

Arashi gave the pair of guardians a smug look. "So be it." The magician formed an orb like the last time, and Hoshimi appeared in it. He threw it over to Sakura. The Card Mistress caught it easily. "You have her, now give me the Cards."

"How can we get her out…?" Sakrua inquired. The orb was about the size of her head, and very light, containing a miniature Hoshimi inside. But it was smooth and hard, like onyx. The black-tinted surface reflected Sakura's face.

"I'm the only one who can free your little guardian. And I will let her out once you hand over your Cards." Arashi replied.

"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Kero demanded.

"You don't," a new voice answered. Everyone looked up to see Eriol and Tomoyo on Spinel's back, and Ruby Moon hovering beside them. "That's why we're here to make sure he does." Eriol continued.

Arashi looked unaffected. "Bringing your friends along, eh, Card Mistress? I don't recall this being part of our deal."

"You never said she couldn't," Ruby Moon opposed.

"I never said she could, either."

_Touché, _Ruby thought, but she just scowled at the dark magician.

Arashi glanced at the rest of the unexpected company. He moved his steady sapphire gaze from Tomoyo to Spinel, and then finally rested on Eriol. "I've heard of you. None other than the reincarnation of the mighty Clow Reed himself, hmm?"

"That's correct, Tanaka Arashi. I've also heard of your family. Been in the trade of magic for ages… especially with the darker spells." Eriol responded.

"And quite powerful, too. Ranking only behind the Li Clan and the Reeds'." added Arashi, his face darkening. "Actually, we were more powerful than the Reeds'… until _Clow Reed_ came along."

"So that's what this is about, ne? Competition."

"Precisely. My family wants our rightful position back as second most powerful. The position that the Reeds' pushed us out from."

"Only settling for second? That doesn't sound like them."

"Oh, we've every intention of getting to first. But our present goal is second."

"What're they saying?" Tomoyo asked. Unintentionally, both magicians were conversing in English, a language that only they and the guardians understood. Poor Sakura, Tomoyo, and Hoshimi were completely clueless to the foreign dialogue.

"What does this have to do with the Cards?" Yue spoke up.

"Or Sakura, for that matter?" Kero joined in.

"Huh, your English is surprisingly fluent… I thought for sure you'd both be speaking with a Japanese accent." Arashi remarked.

"Don't change the topic," Kero snapped.

"Could someone _please _tell me what's going on?" Sakura questioned. It seemed as everyone else was a mile ahead of her and she just couldn't keep up.

"Not quite sure," Ruby answered. "I'm not very good in English; I only spoke it when I had to."

"Even though we resided in England for a while, Eriol-sama created us with Japanese as our native tongue." Spinel explained. "I suppose your guardians have a deeper understanding than we do."

"But you both know what they're saying?" Sakura inquired.

"Somewhat," said Spinel apologetically.

"It has everything to do with the Cards." Arashi told Kero. "If I can take possession of the new magic of Clow Reed, my family's honour will be restored. I would have symbolically defeated the Reeds', thus regaining the Tanaka line's position as second most powerful."

Kero swore. "Then leave Hoshimi out of this. She shouldn't be involved in something she has no part in."

"Ah, but I can't do that. Don't you see? She's my golden ticket to the Cards." Arashi smirked.

"Well, we aren't going to simply hand the Cards over. We'll fight for everything we care about to the finish." Eriol declared.

"Then let the battle commence."


	13. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Of Suns, Moons, and Stars

By moonlight ray

Chapter 13

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, but I do own Hoshimi and Arashi Tanaka. If you're interested in using any of them, just ask, okay?

[A/N: Thanks to animeandmangafangirl for the review! You know, I was originally going to make Arashi Tanaka do it just for the power, but then I decided to give him a heart (kind of) and made him do it for his family. So the family honour thing is actually a much better reason, don't you think? Note: baka= idiot, daidjobou ka= are you alright]

Hoshimi couldn't hear anything from within the orb. It was like being locked in a soundproof booth, only with no door. Not that she would've understood what was being said, anyways. She longed to transform and use her powers to get out and help her half-brothers and Mistress, but her wings just wouldn't materialize. And being in her false form, there was nothing else she could do except watch.

The star being sighed, holding her head in her hands. She felt so useless. A growing burning sensation was building up inside her. Without intending to, she opened her mouth and screamed. Frustration and anger and everything in between welled up inside her. Hoshimi didn't realize until she stopped screaming that she was free. The remains of the containing orb were now shattered like glass around her feet. They soon dissipated, leaving nothing but a vague memory behind.

Hoshimi blinked, amazed. She caught the matching looks of bewilderment from everyone else and blushed, looking away. There were a few people she didn't recognize there: a dark-haired boy with glasses, a butterfly -winged woman dressed in red, and a panther with matching wings, only in green. Daidjouii Tomoyo was present also, along with her Mistress, Yue, Kero, and her kidnapper.

"Impossible…" Arashi muttered.

Eriol was the first to snap out of the daze. "Well then, shall we leave, Sakura-chan? We have what came for; there's no more reason to stay and fight."

"Nobody is going anywhere until I get the Cards." Arashi growled. Behind him, the sky was almost pitch black. The last rays of sunlight gleamed off a smooth, glossy dome. The magic barrier was at its strongest, and bearing only one task now: keep anyone from escaping. "Hand over the Cards, and no one will get hurt."

"Never," Sakura replied defiantly; now that she had her guardian back, her confidence was back as well.

"Then you leave me no choice. I gave you a chance to settle this matter peacefully. Now I will settle it once and for all through force." Arashi levitated a few feet off the ground. His eyes clouded over, like Kero's had earlier, and became a familiar stormy grey-blue.

"So that's what he'd been doing…" Yue murmured to himself. "That would explain why I didn't sense him. He was hiding his aura."

But Arashi wasn't _just _hiding his aura now; his whole body disappeared from sight as well. Without warning, something hit Sakura in the back. The young girl grimaced. "Fly!"

Sakura, up in the air, looked around frantically, trying to sense any movement around her. She closed her eyes, reaching out her magical sense like she did with the Move Card. It faintly picked up on something to her left. Reeling in that direction, Sakura was met with another attack. "Illusion!"

Both battling mages were now invisible, leaving the guardians, Eriol, and Tomoyo unable to help. They were afraid that if they should attack, they might risk hurting the wrong person.

Hoshimi let out a frustrated breath. She had just broken free from one helpless position into another, more helpless position than the first. She had just shifted forms, and though it felt better to be in her celestial form, ready to defend her Mistress, it wasn't enough. "Hoshimi-san?" a cheerful voice called her name. The star guardian's head snapped up, meeting the smiling face of the butterfly-woman.

"I'm Ruby Moon! It's really great to finally meet another female guardian. These guys are so boring…. So how far are ya in your training? Sakura-chan told me you were being trained by Yue and Kero. Is Yue being a pain? Or is Kero? It's Kero, isn't it? That little troublemaker… You know, once he fed Suppi here so much sugar that we almost outed ourselves. Luckily, we weren't found out, though. I think it's cause Sakura thought it was him who ate the sweets that Suppi really ate because when he's high on sugar he goes crazy and eats every sweet in sight and then—"

Ruby was interrupted by Spinel smacking his tail over her mouth. "This is not the time," Spinel reminded her tartly. "In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a battle here."

Yue rolled his eyes in the background. Kero snickered, whispering something to his counterpart. Yue nodded in agreement and whispered something back. Hoshimi cocked her head, trying to hear what they were saying, but she couldn't make out any of the words in the conversation.

Turning her attention back on Ruby and Spinel, Hoshimi bit the inside of her cheek, unsure what to say. "Ano…"

"See, Suppi, you've made her uncomfortable!" Ruby pouted, glaring accusingly at her brother. "I was just being friendly."

"My name is not Suppi!"

"Whatever! The point is, you're scaring her!"

"Are you sure that isn't you?"

"NANI!?"

"Cut it out, you two." Eriol broke up the argument. Hoshimi tossed him a thankful glance. Eriol smiled back at her.

Tomoyo gasped. "Sakura-chan!"

The guardians and reincarnation turned to see that Sakura and Arashi had reappeared, with Arashi holding Sakura in a headlock with a black blade at her neck. The Card Mistress' face was ghostly pale. The dark magician smirked. "Give up yet?" he asked. "Hand over the Cards if you want to keep your life."

Sakura squirmed. "H-hai…" she replied weakly, defeat palpable on her face. Her emerald eyes held back tears. Reaching into her pocket, she shakily pulled out her deck of Sakura Cards. They were glowing a flickering gold, like a candle flame about to be put out. The Cards floated around their Mistress in a circle for the last time, as if bidding her goodbye, before slowly handing themselves over to Arashi's outstretched palm.

"No!" Hoshimi cried. No one realized what the star being intended on doing until it was too late.

"Baka!" Kero shouted, his tone mixed with anger and desperation. Everyone else watched with wide, horrified eyes.

Two brilliant white-gold orbs of light formed in Hoshimi's hands, as she whipped them at the enemy. Both hit Arashi in the chest; the first sending him reeling back a safe distance from the Cards and Sakura, the second knocking him down onto the ground. Before her opponent could react or defend himself, Sakura's magic circle flared underneath Hoshimi's feet and the star guardian formed the largest orb yet, hurling it with unimaginable force at Arashi. It hit the teen's body with a loud impact, and Arashi's face expressed the excruciating pain instantly.

Hoshimi collapsed. Falling to the ground, Yue caught her and lay her gently down. Arashi scowled, panting and shaking vigorously. "This isn't over, Card Mistress. I'll be back, and then you'll all be sorry." He said before leaving the scene, a couple strips of black mist left in his place.

Everyone rushed to gather around the star being. Hoshimi's breaths were quick and shallow. "Hoshimi-san? Daidjobou ka?" Sakura inquired, clutching her guardian's hand in her own.

Hoshimi's eyelids forced open a crack, enough to see all the concerned faces gazing down at her. "M-mistress… how- how are the Cards?" she choked out.

Sakura's eyes welled with tears. "They're fine, all thanks to you. But, please, Hoshimi-san... please be alright."

"Thank y-you all," Hoshimi's lips formed into a tight smile. "Because of you… I've finally… found my place."

"Hoshimi-san! Please, _please, _don't talk like that. Like you're going to die. Please!" Sakura pleaded, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks.

"D-don't c-cry…" Hoshimi whispered, her voice fading. "I-it can't be helped… I've used too much power…. I-I love you all, and I thank you …with all my heart …for everything… you've done for me. After all... if I've saved... the Cards... I've done my duty. I've done... what a guardian should have."

"_HOSHIMI-SAN!" _Sakura wailed, watching helplessly as her guardian's eyes slipped closed, never to be opened again. She still held on tightly to Hoshimi's hand, until it became cold and limp in her grasp. And even then, Sakura didn't let go, just held on and cried until she was empty.

Yue bowed his head, letting his hair cover the pained, haunted look in his eyes. Kero was too stunned and dumbstruck to do anything. Ruby Moon had her arms wrapped around her counterpart, sobbing into Spinel's fur as the panther tried to comfort both his sister and himself. Eriol and Tomoyo watched with solemn expressions, feeling the grave, painful atmosphere set in. No one said a word, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The only sound that penetrated the gloomy silence was the muffled noises of Sakura's crying.

Finally, as the sun began to rise, Sakura stood up. She wiped the tears from her red-rimmed eyes and regarded her friends and guardians expressionlessly. Without a word, everyone helped move Hoshimi's body to the cherry blossom tree, where they buried her. Tsukimine Shrine would never be the same again. Neither would they.


End file.
